Dead woman wins civic election in India

Nearly two weeks after her passing, a woman in India won a municipal election because her followers stuck to their promise to support her as a mark of respect, according to officials.

According to a report by the AFP news agency on Tuesday, Ashiya Bi received close to 44 percent of the vote in the battle for a municipal civic body seat in the Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh, the country's most populous state.

Only 12 days before the election, Bi reportedly developed an acute lung and stomach infection. The well-liked 30-year-old rookie candidate's posthumous victory was announced.

The district officer, Bhagwan Sharan, told AFP that there was no procedure in place to have her name removed from the ballot despite the fact that her husband had informed election officials about her passing.

“Once the electoral process begins, it cannot be halted or paused,” Sharan said.

Voters found Bi to be quite popular before she died away, and many of them chose to vote for her anyway out of respect and adoration.

“Ashiya made friends easily and people didn’t want to break the promise of support they gave her and hence the result,” resident Mohammad Zakir told the Times of India newspaper.

Her husband Muntazim Qureishi said Bi had “won hearts with her calm demeanour”.

“Our votes are a tribute to her,” the paper quoted another voter, Arif, as saying.

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