Kerala: The campaign has just begun, but they are already sweating

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Candidates and their campaign teams are engaged not just in a political fight. This season, they also battle the scorching sun. Since the announcement of

election

, the state has been experiencing 2-3 degree Celsius above normal temperature. Some candidates have changed their schedules to avoid heat while others take prevention against dehydration.


UDF candidate for Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor keeps himself hydrated during the campaign with juices made of gooseberry and lemon. “Gooseberry juice and lemon juice give enough vitamin C. I also drink tender coconut occasionally,” he said, adding that when political heat was at its peak, protection from heat was secondary.

LDF candidate C Divakaran said that he has specifically asked party members to do house visits during early morning hours. “Constituency tour is being planned in such a way that workers get a break from 11am to 3pm. Workers and I are avoiding heavy food to prevent health issues like diarrhoea. We also carry lemon juice in bottles,” he said.

UDF candidate in

Kollam

N K Premachandran saw one of his party member suffering sun burn during campaign at Punalur, one of the hottest regions in the state, on Sunday. However, Premachandran said that except drinking lot of water, he was least worried about heat. “The huge excitement of the voters and our workers keep me going. I don’t even take break except for lunch,” he said.

In Palakkad, where temperature was a record 41 degree Celsius on Monday, candidates follow a special diet plan. BJP’s C Krishnakumar uses a traditional technique to keep him cool throughout the day. “We have the practice of taking ‘pazham kanji’ (prepared by keeping previous day’s cooked rice in water) for breakfast. It works well. I also keep bottles full of butter milk and water with me in the vehicle,” said Krishnakumar.

CPM candidate and sitting MP M B Rajesh said he doesn’t campaign during 11am and 3pm. “Since there are 28 days to go, we need to keep the team of campaigners not getting exhausted too,” said Rajesh. Adding more vegetables and fruits in the diet, avoiding non-veg food and drinking more water is the change Rajesh has introduced in his diet.

The campaign forced Hibi Eden, UDF candidate for Ernakulam, to implement a major change in his diet. “I am someone who drinks very little water. This has changed now. Many well-wishers have also advised to stop having eggs and meat but I haven’t stopped those,” he said.

CPM candidate for

Kozhikode

, A Pradeep Kumar has given a general direction to avoid open campaigning during the two-hour noon break from 12. But, he admits the tight schedule will compromise the break on most days. For M K Raghavan, UDF candidate for Kozhikode, it is business as usual and the high day time temperature has not curtailed his campaign plans. “He drinks lots of water and has included more vegetables in his diet and keeps his meals light,” a close associate of Raghavan said.

IUML candidate of Ponanni, E T Muhammed Basheer, said he has never thought about any precautions to beat the heat, during campaign. “When the active party workers are involving in busy campaign works without taking any precautionary steps to protect themselves from the scorching sun, I cannot stay indoors,” he said. Basheer has been advised by doctors to keep away from outdoor campaign during peak noon hours.

K Sudhakaran, Congress candidate from Kannur, admits that campaigning is a tiring exercise with temperatures soaring. He plans house visits in the morning and meetings with large groups of people are organized indoors.

Though sun glasses and caps are efficient protective gears during summer season, many candidates are hesitant to use them as they are concerned about the image before voters. Tharoor said voters like to see them without glass or cap. “I remove glass when I directly talk to a voter,” he said.

C Divakaran said he would not use a sun glass as voters would ask ‘who is this man wearing a sun glass’.