Fainting During Campaign... Voter Turnout Drops Amid Over 40°C Heatwave in India

Southeast Asia Including Thailand Faces Consecutive Heatwave Emergencies

The world's largest Indian general election is facing significant difficulties due to an unprecedented heatwave. A mid-level politician campaigning fainted from the heat, and voter turnout is also declining. The general election, which began last month, is held over six weeks, with about 1 billion Indian voters casting their ballots.

On the 6th (local time), British broadcaster BBC reported that as the heatwave with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius continues in India, voters are heading to polling stations armed with water bottles and fruit from early morning.

Voters going to vote in the Indian general election
[Photo by EPA/ Yonhap News]

India's general elections, held every five years, are usually conducted in April and May. However, this year, due to the El Ni?o phenomenon and other factors, a heatwave has struck India and other parts of Asia, resulting in persistently difficult weather conditions for voting.

On the 24th of last month, Nitin Gadkari, a key politician of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and India's Minister of Road Transport and Highways, fainted on stage while campaigning in the western state of Maharashtra. He explained, "The campaign venue was crowded, and the high temperature made me feel unwell."

Earlier, on the 18th of the same month, a TV anchor in the northeastern city of Kolkata fainted while delivering the weather news. At that time, the temperature in Kolkata exceeded 43 degrees Celsius. It was also confirmed that the TV studio was extremely hot due to air conditioning failure.

Due to this heatwave, at least nine people died from heat-related illnesses last month alone. Indian meteorological authorities explained that this year, the arrival of the heatwave has been unusually earlier and more severe due to the El Ni?o phenomenon. They also predicted that the heatwave would intensify further in May. Previously, temperatures in Delhi soared up to 49 degrees Celsius. Eastern Kolkata recorded 46 degrees, and southern Telangana recorded 43.4 degrees.

Indian female voter heading to the polling station
[Photo by AP/Yonhap News]

With the heat arriving earlier and stronger than usual, election authorities are on high alert. The Indian general election, which began on the 19th of last month, is conducted in seven phases across the country until June 1, coinciding with the heatwave period.

Authorities have taken measures such as providing water to voters at polling stations. In central Telangana, some regions extended voting hours by one hour into the evening to avoid the scorching heat. However, despite these efforts, voter turnout in the first and second phases of voting on the 19th and 26th of last month was recorded to be more than 3% lower compared to 2019. In southern Telangana, where the fourth phase of voting is scheduled for the 13th, concerns about the heatwave are already being raised among voters.

Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said, "Voter turnout is not increasing because voters are not coming to the polling stations due to the heatwave." Former Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami assessed in an interview with India Today that this year's heatwave may have contributed to the decline in voter turnout.

A rickshaw puller wipes sweat in Dhaka, Bangladesh, which is experiencing the most severe heatwave since 1989.
[Photo by Reuters/Yonhap News]

India is not the only country suffering from record-breaking heatwaves. Neighboring Bangladesh also experienced temperatures rising to 42.6 degrees Celsius, the highest since 1989. At least 34 people died from heatstroke over five days until the 30th of last month in Bangladesh.

In the Philippines, after a heatwave with a perceived temperature nearing 50 degrees Celsius occurred at the end of last month, face-to-face classes were suspended at more than 47,000 public schools. Myanmar and Cambodia also saw mercury levels soar to around 45 degrees Celsius, breaking previous heatwave records. The Thai Meteorological Department issued a 'very dangerous' heatwave warning, stating, "The perceived temperature in Bangkok, considering humidity, is 52 degrees Celsius."

Maximiliano Herrera, a climatologist studying global abnormal weather, pointed out on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that "thousands of temperature records across Asia are being brutally broken (surpassed), marking the most extreme event in the history of global climate."