How Will Heat Waves Affect India’s Poll Cycle? Climate Group Report Suggests Possible Ways Out

Climate change has intensified heat waves in India, and could potentially impact election cycles. Report by Climate Trends suggests adjusting voting schedules among other mitigation measures.

Women voters show their ink-marked fingers after casting their votes in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, at Barwada village in Jaipur, on April 19. Representational image.

Source : PTI

Elections 2024: As the Lok Sabha elections kicked off this year, many headlines focused on their timing, which coincided with heat waves forecast by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for India’s gruelling summer months. Amid climate change and global warming, India’s notorious heat waves have been intensifying while also occurring at a greater frequency. 

In this light, Climate Trends, a Delhi-based organisation, has prepared a report that seeks to analyse the impact of these changing weather patterns on the Indian election cycle, and the steps that can be taken to mitigate the ordeal of stepping out to vote amid soaring temperatures.

Climate Trends describes itself as “a research-based consulting and capacity-building initiative that aims to bring greater focus on issues of environment, climate change and sustainable development”.

In a report titled ‘Will Climate Change allow India to hold another summer elections’, the organisation has discussed at length the growing impact of climate change on the Indian summer, and spoken to election officials about possible ways to delink India’s biggest election from the worst impacts of this grave weather phenomenon.

Many Factors Need To Be Considered: Ex-Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa

Quoted in the report, former election commissioner Ashok Lavasa cited an instance from 1951 when the Lok Sabha polls for upper reaches of Himachal Pradesh were conducted in September, while the rest of the country voted in October. This, he said, was done as the upper reaches of Himachal Pradesh would have been engulfed in snow from October to December. 

He said it is possible to amend election dates up to an extent, but added that it would need serious consideration of other factors as well.

“Weather conditions are always taken into account to avert major disruption. There are mitigation measures which are taken well beforehand like arrangements for making people stand in queue in cool places, availability of drinking water, etc,” he said. 

As Lavasa pointed out, the heat-wave conditions prevailing in several parts of India have been factored in by the Election Commission (EC), which has set up a task force this election to assess the situation ahead of each phase.

The task force was established after the first phase of polling. The EC said it “has been closely monitoring the weather reports and will ensure the comfort and well-being of voters, along with polling personnel and security forces, candidates and political party leaders”.

On Tuesday, Delhi Chief Electoral Officer P. Krishnamurthy said measures had been taken in response to the heatwave forecast by the IMD for May 25, when the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections is scheduled (Delhi votes in this phase). 

The preparations, he added, include setting up waiting areas equipped with coolers, mist fans, and cold drinking water. Additionally, paramedical staff will be on site to address any health-related issues that might arise due to the heat.

Discussing the scheduling of elections, Lavasa said “there is a provision by which the ECI (Election Commission of India) can conduct elections anytime in 180 days but they have to be extremely careful that the term of the government is not curtailed even by a day”. 

“Another problem is that the month of February-March is exam time in schools and colleges so one cannot disrupt the academic cycle as well. Maximum precautions are taken to minimise the extremes. However, one may consider this, if (temperatures) continue to increase,” he added.

Mutual Understanding Among All The Parties Needed: Ex-CEC Rawat

Former Chief Election Commissioner O.P. Rawat said this problem could be solved by a mutual understanding among all the parties. 

“There is a six-month window to hold parliamentary elections. For the current tenure, elections had to be held between December 17, 2023, and June 16, 2024. However, since state assembly elections were scheduled in November and December, parliamentary elections are usually conducted after a gap of at least 2-3 months,” he added. “Therefore, Union elections 2024 were announced in March. To avoid such a situation in future, the Election Commission must call for an all-party meet where it can collectively agree on delaying the state elections by two months.” 

For the next Lok Sabha elections in 2029, he said, the window falls between January 1 and June 30.

“Spring season (February and March) is the best time to hold the elections. Or else, there should be an amendment in the law that empowers the Election Commission to conduct a state assembly election a little earlier.”