Kerala polls 2026: Under a burning sky, no rest for the vote-hungry

Assembly elections have always fallen in peak summer in the state and Kerala’s politicians have learned to campaign through both the heat of the weather and the heat of the contest.

But this year, there is no breathing room. With just two weeks to go, party workers are out in a do-or-die mode, starting early and running late into the night.Places like Kollam, Kottayam, Kochi, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Kannur and Thrissur have recorded temperatures 2-3 degrees above normal over the past fortnight. Caps, umbrellas and white cottons are out in full force. Sunscreen, hydration and shifting meetings indoors wherever possible have become standard campaign precautions.

The heat has also made volunteer mobilisation harder. “We used to get many volunteers for door-todoor campaigns, but that has slowed down. Most youngsters prefer office work or social media. So, we start early, and by lunch, they make calls and attend family meets,” said Gopa Kumar, a UDF worker in Angamaly.“The campaign period is very short, we don’t have the luxury of long breaks. We take brief breaks after lunch but get back quickly,” said IUML candidate T P Ashrafali from Kondotty.

Ashrafali said he uses sunscreen regularly, stays hydrated and sticks to light food. “I have asked party workers to protect themselves too. And being a young candidate, I doubt the leaders will let me avoid the sun anyway,” he added with a laugh.CPM candidate K Ansalan in Neyyattinkara said he remains unfazed, though workers have been given a break between 11am and 3pm to prevent sunstroke. Congress worker G M Sugunan from the same constituency said they compensate for the midday rest by working well into the night.

BJP worker Manchathala Suresh from Nemom echoed the sentiment. “Our mission is to make our candidate win. For that, we endure the heat,” he said.In Palakkad, NDA candidate Sobha Surendran takes no breaks at all. “Till 10am we are on the streets, then we move by vehicle for home visits,” said BJP mandalam president Babu Vennakkara. Kottayam, which recorded some of the highest day temperatures in the country last month at 37-38 degrees, has seen most candidates install air coolers in their open campaign vehicles. And adding to the misery, posters are peeling off walls as the gum fails to hold in the relentless heat.