Mid-summer electioneering is hard for candidates and party workers alike. It becomes harder for Muslim candidates and their poll managers as they are through the Ramzan fasting. With one more week to go in for Ramzan, all Muslim candidates are apparently refraining themselves from going all out. Rather they have been focussing more on indoor electioneering during the days of Ramzan.
Although Ramzan fasting is one of the five foundations of Islam, it differs from the other four such as Shahada (profession of faith), Salah (namaz or prayer), Zakat (alms or charity) and Haj (pilgrimage) in being so private an act of worship to God as well as a form of spiritual discipline. Therefore, whether a person fasts or no is rarely revealed to others.
Most Muslim candidates, particularly of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), have rejigged their electioneering schedules during Ramzan. Candidates such as E.T. Mohammed Basheer, M.P. Abdussamad Samadani and K.S. Hamza (who represents the Left Democratic Front in Ponnani) have been starting their daily electioneering routine as early as 8 a.m., covering houses, business establishments, educational institutions and public offices. They have been avoiding public rallies, meetings and roadshows in Ramzan. Candidates like Shafi Parambil (Vadakara), Elamaram Kareem (Kozhikode), V. Vaseef, and M. Abdul Salam (Malappuram) too are falling in line.
Midday breaks for them are longer than usual, during which some of them reach out to the voters individually over phone. “We stay away from direct and long exposure to the sun during the fasting time,” said Iqbal Erambath, one of the election managers for Mr. Basheer.
Staying hydrated
“Drink as much water as you can at night. Tender coconut water is the best,” P.A. Kabeer, physician and managing director of Almas Hospital, Kottakkal, was seen advising Mr. Samadani at an Iftar in Malappuram recently. Most candidates have multiple Iftars every day. After sunset, there is hardly any electioneering for them.
