Searing heat makes candidates take noon breaks during campaign

Although campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections in Gujarat is picking up, candidates and their supporters are finding it tough to reach out to their voters in the afternoon hours due to the scorching heat.

As the maxmimum temperature has touched 42 degrees Celsius in many parts of the state, candidates now prefer to take afternoon breaks and campaign till late evening instead.

Dhansukh Bhanderi, a BJP leader from Rajkot, said candidates and party workers now campaign in two shifts- morning and evening- as they prefer taking afternoon breaks due to the rising heat.

Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi also said that heat has affected campaign activities and party leaders are now avoiding meeting voters in the afternoon.

"Election material like caps are being distributed to supporters in large numbers to help them avoid the sunlight," he said.

"We used to start campaigning around 9.30 am. But now, we reach out to people in two shifts- between 8 and 11 am- and then from 5 to 8 pm. Thereafter, between 9 pm and 10 pm, we hold booth meetings. We take afternoon breaks due to heat," Bhanderi said.

In many cities like Rajkot, Surendranagar and Ahmedabad, the maximum temperature has gone beyond 40 degrees, which has dampened the spirit of most of the candidates, political leaders said.

Doshi said, "It is true that rising mercury levels have affected campaigning as party workers avoid going out in the afternoon. We have divided campaigning in two shifts and give breaks during the afternoon."