BJP candidate dies by suicide on eve of civic poll

Hyderabad: A 45-year-old BJP candidate, E Mahadevappa, allegedly died by suicide at his house in Makhtal town in Narayanpet district on Tuesday morning, a day before voting for municipal polls, triggering a political slugfest in the state.Mahadevappa, an auto driver from a tribal community, was contesting from VI ward in Makhtal municipality. He had joined BJP on Jan 25. Officials said one of his opponents from the Congress was his cousin.Following his death, poll officials deferred the election in the ward. "The new date for polling and other details will be announced as per State Election Commission directions," the ward's returning officer, Palem Shivayya, said.The suicide sparked a blame game between BJP and Congress, with both parties holding each other responsible for the death. Union minister G Kishan Reddy brought up the issue in Lok Sabha, while BJP MP K Laxman mentioned the suicide in Rajya Sabha. Both claimed that their candidate was harassed by Congress members. Congress, meanwhile, alleged that BJP's internal politics drove Mahadevappa to suicide.Based on a complaint by Mahadevappa's family, Makhtal Police registered a case under BNSS Section 194 (Suspicious death) and sent the body for post-mortem. "Mahadevappa died by hanging early Tuesday. We found no note, and the exact reason for his suicide is yet to be ascertained," Narayanpet SP G Vineeth said.Preliminary probe revealed that Mahadevappa had campaigned till Monday evening. When campaigning ended, he was allegedly anxious about the election result and shared his concern with family. "We suspect that fear of a loss might be the reason behind the extreme step," a Makhtal police officer said.Meanwhile, Khairatabad DCP K Shilpavalli's team took about 100 BJP workers into preventive custody for staging a protest in front of the DGP office at Lakdikapul over Mahadevappa's suicide.. They were released later in the evening. A constable involved in the bandobast lodged a complaint against the protesters, alleging they used objectionable language against police and obstructed them from discharging their duties. Saifabad Police said they would register a case.