Palakkad: There is a full month to go before the traditional monsoon arrival date — June 1 — in Kerala, and temperatures are soaring.
Communist Party of India Marxist veteran and Opposition leader V.S. Achuthanandan is contesting from Palakkad’s Malampuzha constituency, where temperatures have risen to 42 degree Celsius. And while the 92 year old appears unfazed by the heat, his fortitude is more an exception than the rule. Owing to abnormally high temperatures — many areas of the state now have temperatures in the 40C range — campaign managers have altered their schedules to suit themselves and the voters they are wooing.
This time around, therefore, campaign workers are up early in the morning and catching up with the voters before they leave for work. Party workers are pushing to get as much of the campaign work done before the sun gets sizzling, and then waiting for the evening to begin the second phase of campaign work. They have now started to focus on indoor meetings and analysis of the progress of campaign work on the ground level during the day.
On Sunday, two more people in the state died due to sunstroke. The victims were identified as Elambilassery Raman (80) and Payyoli Tharammel Damodaran (52), both from Kozhikode district.
The meteorological department has warned that the heatwave will continue in Kerala until Thursday. The warning is particularly for Kozhikode and Palakkad districts. People doing outdoor work have been warned to take special care while working between 11am and 3pm.
One good tiding is the prospect of summer rains from May 2 to May 6. If it does happen, it will be a relief for the state and a welcome change in fortunes for political campaign managers who will get about 10 days without the searing temperatures ahead of the poll date of May 16 in which to win over voters.
