An Indian woman won local elections nearly two weeks after her death, voted for by supporters willing to fulfill their pledges of support out of respect, officials say.
Ashiya Bi won nearly 44% of the vote in municipal elections held earlier this month in India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, where he was declared the winner posthumously.
The 30-year-old candidate, who was running for office for the first time, died of illness just 12 days before the vote.
Her husband, Muntazim Qureishi, notified election authorities, but the district official, Bhagwan Sharan, told AFP that no procedure had been put in place to withdraw his name from the ballot.
“Once the selection process begins, it cannot be stopped or interrupted,” explained Mr. Sharan.
Ashiya Bi was very popular and many of his constituents decided to vote for him even though he died, to show their respect and admiration.
“Ashiya made friends easily and people didn’t want to break their promise of support for him, because that was the result,” local resident Mohammad Zakir told the Times of India daily.
According to her husband, Ashiya Bi has “conquered hearts with her calm demeanor.”
“Our voice pays tribute to him,” said one of his constituents.
Personal, family and community loyalties often play a decisive role in India’s election results which are often turbulent and chaotic at the local, state and national levels.
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