The seven-phased Lok Sabha elections will begin on April 19 and conclude on June 1. The results will be announced on June 4.
The 2024 general elections will happen in seven phases. The first phase of voting is slated for April 19 and the last phase for June 1. That is pretty much the entire summer season in India. It, therefore, becomes important to look at the summer heat apart from the political heat which the polls are normally associated with. An HT analysis based on aggregating India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) gridded temperature database to parliamentary constituencies (PCs) – this has made it possible to check historical temperatures for 495 out of the 543 PCs in India – shows that the period of campaigning in most parts of India is among the hottest these regions are throughout the year. For this analysis, campaign period was considered as the period starting from the last date of withdrawal of nomination to the day of polling.
While 35°C might not appear to be very hot on a standalone basis, higher humidity levels can make even this temperature threshold extremely dangerous for any outdoor activity,(Rahul Raut/HT file photo)