Soaring temperature seems to be taking its toll as never before on the candidates and their comrades during this poll season in Bengal forcing the netas to invent various ways of avoiding the sun.
“It is difficult but you have no other way than to face it,” says Somen Mitra — veteran politician and Congress candidate from North Kolkata — whose presence in the constituency has raised the political temperature by several notches.
“I am confining my campaigns to selected hours, I have also asked my fellow workers consume a lot of water and coconut water” says the leader and a sitting Trinamool MP who broke away from that outfit a few months ago to rejoin the Congress.
The seventy-plus Mitra, a former PCC president was seen carrying a water tank with him for his workers even as he covers most of his constituencies walking and sometime in an open jeep. “My years of experience tell me to wear white dhoti, kurta and a cap. This time he only added pair of sneakers to beat the additional heat.
Another candidate and another Mitra — BJP candidate Dr Chandan Mitra — from Hooghly follows a decent copy-book rule of campaigning. He moves around till 12 noon, retiring for a few hours thence and hitting the road again at 3 pm. “It is really hard to campaign in this part of the year. One can easily get a heat stroke,” he adds wondering whether the poll timings could be rescheduled for November.
He is backed by CPI(M) candidate from North Kolkata Rupa Bagchi. A former MlA and currently the Opposition leader in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation says “The thought can be spared as to whether polls can be held in milder seasons.” She prefers to campaign on foot and “almost door-to-door” and takes plenty of water during the campaign. “As I enter every household I have no problem in asking for a glass of water and ask my comrades to do the same,” she informs while sipping a glass of lassi at a central Kolkata shop.
With no moisture coming in from the Bay of Bengal the State seems to be burning during this time. While Kolkata recorded 39 degrees temperature on Monday in districts like Bankura, Birbhum and West Midnapore hovered between 40 and 43 degrees. For Behrampore it was 38 degrees.
Sitting Trinamool MP Sudip Bandopadhyay from North Kolkata, who has been travelling the distance on shinning chariots kicking up a genuine poll storm shouts from his newly-acquired abode that “We Trinamoolis do not mind the heat as no amount of heat can demoralise us.”
like him BJP candidate from Barasat PC Sarkar, the magician, says that he is made of a fireball and “can never be intimidated by the heat. I have asked my workers to fight any degree of heat if they want to oust the corrupt Government at the Centre and the State.” Though no casualty has been reported from any part of the State, the heat stroke had consumed about 40 peoplein 2011.
Anticipating similar situations Kolkata Police Commissioner on Monday personally hit the streets pepping up the traffic constables and giving them tips on how to remain cool. In view of the soaring temperatures the police department on Monday reduced the working hours of traffic constables from eight to six hours.