In an election where much of the narrative revolves around the inevitability of the BJP being voted back to power, the party is facing two challenges: complacency among party workers convinced of victory, and the record-breaking heat to hit the country this poll season. The India Metereological Department has already predicted that the country will experience heat waves lasting 10 to 20 days, double that of the usual occurrence.
In meetings with the BJP’s booth workers over video conference, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pep talk often resembles advisories put out by the government over extreme weather events. At the ‘Namo parivar tiffin baithak’ (Namo family tiffin meeting) of BJP workers in Varanasi, Mr. Modi’s constituency, he went into quite a few details on how to beat the heat.
“Along with your work, please take of your health as well in this heat. I have heard that as early as now, in Varanasi, sattu ki lassi (gram flour shake) is available, aam ka panna (juice made of raw mangoes) is also available. I would request that all of you please drink these as much as possible and also have copious quantities of water, keep a bottle of water close by always. Only if you all are energetic and healthy, will I be worry free as to the outcome of the polls,” he said.
.jpg?w=600)
