Rayagada: A pall of gloom descended on Kuli Gram Panchayat under Rayagada Block after its woman sarpanch, Manga Kadraka, died from a snakebite in the early hours of Sunday.

According to reports, a venomous snake bit her on the right leg while she was asleep at home late on Saturday night. After informing her husband, Suri Kadraka, she was immediately rushed to the District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) in Rayagada. Despite receiving treatment, she succumbed after battling for nearly one and a half hours.

Her untimely demise has shocked the local community. Several eminent leaders, including former Rajya Sabha Member N. Bhaskar Rao, expressed deep grief over her passing and extended condolences to the bereaved family.