Scorching sun forces campaign to evenings

Ongole: The rising levels of mercury are forcing MP and MLA candidates to change their election campaign timings from early evening hours to the hours after sunset.

The temperature is around 41°C to 45°C for the last one week in Prakasam district. The people are almost confined to the indoors deserting the roads, fearing the scorching heat. The increased temperatures also increased the expenditure for the political campaign. For the campaign taken up from the late afternoons, the candidates are suffering from expenditures like fruit juices and cool drinks for the cadre, followers and the people participating in the campaign. Apart from the other expenditures, the expenditure for the refreshments is burdening their pockets by at least additional Rs 10,000 per day, they confess.

TDP, BJP and Jana Sena alliance is jointly conducting the poll campaign starting from 6.30 pm. Their joint candidate Damacharla Janardhana Rao, his wife Naga Satyalatha and daughter Anisha are visiting various divisions in the late evening and interacting with the public.

They are explaining to voters the works Janardhana Rao completed in his earlier term and the works that failed to be completed by the present government in the town. By the time they complete the door-to-door campaign in any division, it would be midnight. Similar is with the campaign by YSRCP candidate Balineni Srinivasa Reddy, his wife Sachidevi, and daughter-in-law Srikavya. They are also starting the campaign with the followers around 6 pm and continuing up to midnight.

Senior politicians from the YSRCP and TDP observe that the rise in temperatures is indirectly helping the candidates. They say that by the start of the campaign in the evenings, everyone in the family is available at home, and the candidates could meet them in person. They say that the voters are also happy for the candidate personally meeting them and asking them to vote for them.