LUCKNOW: Free liquor handed out by village politicians to win votes in India’s largest state has killed 19 people and blinded others over two days, and some was laced with insecticide and other chemicals, officials said Friday. Five people died overnight and 20 others fell ill in Gorakhpur, 250 kilometres (155 miles) southeast of Uttar Pradesh’s state capital, Lucknow, government spokesman Narendra Sinha said. Similar incidents killed 14 in two other Uttar Pradesh villages on Wednesday, said CN Upadhaya, joint commissioner of the department that monitors liquor production and sales. Village council elections are under way in the state. Upadhaya said one politician who allegedly mixed pesticide with liquor to increase its quantity had been arrested and charged with attempted murder. He could face up to 14 years in prison if convicted. Other arrests were being made, Upadhaya said. The accused politicians could not be reached for comment.