Opinion
Mint Quick edit | Can elections be scheduled to beat the heat?
Summary
- We must take up the Election Commission’s suggestion of completing Lok Sabha polls before the summer sets in. That several people reportedly lost their lives this time to heat is reason enough for all political parties to consider this proposal. Global warming will make things worse.
Chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar described Indian elections as a “miracle" on the eve of Tuesday’s results. There were as many as 642 million voters, including 312 million women, setting a world record. “This is a historic moment for all of us," he said. “This is 1.5 times the voters of all G7 countries and 2.5 times the voters of 27 countries in the European Union." Impressive.
But the big challenge, he added, was conducting polls amid soaring temperatures. The Election Commission’s big learning, he said, was to complete polling before the summer sets in. Indeed, elongated schedules that risk making electors and election officials brave heat waves need a rethink. That several people involved in polling reportedly lost their lives this time to heat is reason enough for this proposal to find a hearing across the political spectrum.
Since every Lok Sabha is elected for a five-year term, adopting Kumar’s idea may require the sacrifice of a few months in power by the day’s government. But then, this is arguably not much of a price to pay for the electorate’s voting comfort and officials’ safety. Global warming could mean every successive year sees a less hospitable summer.
