A heat wave alert has been issued across the majority of the 14 Karnataka districts set to hold Lok Sabha elections on May 7, with temperatures soaring to 42 to 44 degrees Celsius over the past few days. Meanwhile, Bengaluru may experience light rainfall in the upcoming days.
The Election Commission has taken steps to alleviate the effects of the heat at polling centers, aiming to ensure that voter turnout remains unaffected by the prevailing weather conditions.
Separately, the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) has issued a red alert for five districts -- Bagalkot, Belagavi, Dharwad, Haveri and Koppal – till May 9.
In the 14 segments scheduled for polling on May 7 - Chikkodi, Belgaum, Bagalkot, Bijapur, Gulbarga, Raichur, Bidar, Koppal, Bellary, Haveri, Dharwad, Uttara Kannada, Davangere, and Shimoga - the Election Commission has taken proactive measures. Tents have been set up, additional fans and chairs provided, and drinking water dispensers installed in polling centers to ensure voters are not adversely affected by the heat. Additionally, ambulances are on standby to address any health emergencies that may arise during the voting process.
Incidentally, Kalaburgi district (Gulbarga Lok Sabha constituency), has been recording the highest maximum temperature of over 44 degrees Celsius for the past seven days, according to IMD. Meanwhile, even as Bengalureans awaited the rains with bated breath, the showers skipped the IT hub on May 5. According to C S Patil, Director of the Meteorological Centre, Bengaluru, IMD, there was only 4 cm of rain in Karnataka on May 5. But the IMD predicts light to moderate rain tomorrow in both Bengaluru Urban and Rural districts.