Eighty-year-old R. Chandrasekaran is, like many across Tamil Nadu, looking forward to casting his vote in the April 23 Assembly election. In fact, Dr. Chandrasekaran, president of the Raja Annamalaipuram  Residents’ Association, has been encouraging all residents of the locality to go out and vote. The only daunting factor here is not age but the heat. Dr. Chandrasekaran says he is advising residents to hydrate adequately before setting out, and carry a bottle of water.

More heatwave days

This year, the India Meteorological Department has warned, many parts of the country will experience an “above-normal” number of heatwave days in the period between April and June. 

The Regional Meteorological Centre has issued a heat index advisory for Tamil Nadu, especially the coastal areas. The trough prevailing over the Tamil Nadu region is to lead to moisture incursion and a rise in the humidity level, and the combination of humid air and high temperatures will influence hot weather and discomfort for residents in places like Chennai. Extreme heat, especially combined with high humidity, can be detrimental to the human body, with certain segments of the population particularly at risk — older adults, individuals with chronic illnesses, and outdoor workers, among them.

Polling officials need to be sensitised to the fact that extreme heat can be fatal, notes Mahaveer Golechha, professor of public health, Indian Institute of Public Health-Gandhinagar.

He points to the need to create awareness of how to be ‘heat safe’: learning how to identify symptoms, taking precautions, ensuring first aid is available, and keeping a supply of oral rehydration salts (ORS) at all times. “Capacity-building and training is crucial,” he adds, recalling the tragic death of over 30 poll workers in a single day in Uttar Pradesh during the 2024 election.

For candidates and party workers, the heat makes it difficult to visit constituencies between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Campaigns scheduled to start in the afternoon are being pushed to the evening due to the heat. Thousand Lights MLA and DMK candidate N. Ezhilan says he begins his door-to-door campaign every day at 7.30 a.m. and concludes it by 10.30 a.m. He resumes campaigning at 4.30 p.m. and continues until 9.30 p.m. “As a doctor, I ensure that those accompanying me remain well hydrated, particularly the elderly who are vulnerable to heat-related illnesses in humid conditions. I advise them to drink water or take ORS,” he says.

Voter factors

Voters may run into extreme heat at political rallies they participate in or watch, and on the day of voting itself. Again, creating awareness of heat-related illnesses and what to watch out for are important, says Dr. Golechha. “Even when temperatures are not extremely high, below 40 degrees Celsius, for instance, it is the duration of exposure that may cause issues. Coupled with high humidity, the temperature would feel like 50 degrees Celsius,” he points out. Hence, provision of shade, cool space, and water is crucial.

On polling day, says Chirag Dhara, climate and sustainability scientist at Krea University, intense heat could affect specific demographics among voters. “While it is difficult to make a direct connection between extreme heat and the impact on voter representation, due to the complexities involved and the lack of localised heat-related morbidity data to isolate these effects, what we do know is that elderly citizens and people particularly susceptible to heat such as those with heart, lung, or kidney diseases may be the most affected,” he notes. He also underscores the fact that with nighttime temperatures remaining high, the effects on health worsen: the body rests and recovers in the night, but is less able to do so when the mercury doesn’t dip.

What is required besides awareness and capacity-building, say experts, are adequate measures at and around polling booths, as well as arrangements such as separate lines for vulnerable populations, ambulances where needed, the availability of ORS and drinking water, among others.

(With inputs from N. Sai Charan, K. Lakshmi, and Aloysius Xavier Lopez.)