Parties brave sweltering heat, singeing humidity

The temperature hovered around 40 degrees Celsius. Nonetheless, the humidity blew exceedingly high at 40 per cent. After 9 am, almost all shops were seen with their shutters down as customers stayed indoors. Almost all roads, barring the ones leading to coal mines, on Friday appeared deserted.

However, these adverse weather conditions came as no dampener for the leaders of Odisha’s ruling BJD, BJP and Congress who are determinedly encountering these sweltering conditions with a mission – to fight and win the Brajarajnagar assembly by-election scheduled to be held on May 31.

For over 15 days now, the senior leaders of the three political parties are seen holding strategy meetings with their frontline workers under tree shades and hotel rooms during the daytime hours spanning from 11 am to 4 pm. And, the hours between 7 am and 10 am and 4 pm to 10 pm, are seen being utilised by these leaders to the optimum level to avoid inconvenience to voters, especially to women and elderly persons.

On Friday morning, the BJD held roadshows in Brajarajnagar and Belpahar towns while the BJP and Congress organised meetings with women groups in rural pockets of the constituency. In the evening as the temperature fell down to below 30 degrees Celsius, the three parties held huge public rallies at different places.

“Brajarajnagar is an industrial belt. It is flanked by coal mines on its south. As coal mines normally generate a lot of heat, they add to the summer heat, making life miserable for the local people. So, we are trying to ensure that our voters and sympathisers don’t feel the pain of the hot summer,” said Sarat Pattanayak, the newly-appointed president of the Odisha PCC.

Senior BJD leader Subash Singh, who organised a massive meeting at Unit 2 Thakurpadia on Thursday evening, said women and young voters were showing more interest in such sundown campaign exercises.

BJP Lok Sabha member Suresh Kumar Pujari who is spearheading the saffron campaign in Bargarh, claimed that the high turnouts at the evening and morning rallies reflected the mood of the voters to elect Radharani Panda, the party nominee.

The BJD and Congress have fielded Alaka Mohanty and Kishore Patel, respectively.