Latur: A Bharatiya Janata Party functionary died while campaigning for his wife for the sarpanch polls in Maharashtra's Latur district on Thursday.
Amar Nade, who was the party's district secretary here, felt uneasy while addressing a gathering in Murud on Wednesday night and was declared dead on arrival by doctors at a nearby government hospital, an official said.
Nade was cremated on Thursday and most parties stopped their campaigning for the day as a mark of respect, he said.
The villagers are shocked by this incident. The atmosphere in the village has completely changed. All the election banners in the village have been removed. Deceased Amar Nade's wife is a candidate for the post of Sarpanch. She has now been offered support by the opposition panel. Murud villagers and local leaders have come together and decided that no one will out for campaigning. Voting for Gram Panchayat is going to be held on Saturday.
In the Gram Panchayat elections, a very intense and hostile competition takes place. But after the death of a candidate's husband, the opposition parties publicly came in support of her. Also, all banners and promotional posters in the village have been taken down. People on social media are now praising the villagers and opposition panel for posing an example of humanity.
(With inputs from agency)
