Kaimur: A Karnataka police head constable assigned to second-phase election duty in Bihar died early on Monday after collapsing at his temporary accommodation in Kaimur district.
The constable, identified as Rajkumar, was part of the security team stationed at Ramgarh High School, where personnel from multiple states were housed ahead of Tuesday’s voting.
According to officials, his health deteriorated suddenly in the morning when his colleagues attempted to wake him.
Declared dead at hospital
Rajkumar was rushed to the Ramgarh Referral Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival. “The death appears to be due to a heart attack,” said Jitendra Kumar, the Block Development Officer of Ramgarh, confirming the incident.
Police officers immediately informed the family and sent the body to Bhabhua Sadar Hospital for postmortem. The news has left fellow officers deeply shaken, casting a pall over preparations for the polling exercise.
“The postmortem has been ordered and legal formalities are under way,” the BDO added.
Security forces on alert as phase two approaches
The constable’s death comes at a crucial moment, with Bihar gearing up for the second phase of the 2025 Assembly elections.
The Election Commission has set up 45,399 polling stations across 122 constituencies, including more than 40,000 rural booths.
A total of 3.70 crore voters—including 7.69 lakh first-time voters, 943 third-gender electors, 43 overseas voters and 6,255 citizens aged over 100—are eligible to vote in this phase.
Security agencies had already intensified deployment amid concerns of local tensions, with personnel from central forces and several states assigned to sensitive districts such as Kaimur, Araria, Sitamarhi and Bhagalpur.
High turnout in phase one sets expectations
The first phase recorded more than 65% turnout, one of the highest in recent electoral cycles.
Election authorities are now assessing whether voter participation in the second phase could surpass that figure, especially in areas with competitive multi-cornered contests involving the NDA, Grand Alliance, Jan Suraj, and AIMIM.
Counting is scheduled for 14 November, which will reveal whether Bihar’s political balance remains unchanged or shifts dramatically
