The biggest round of polling to decide the fate of the country began today morning. Amidst tight security, 121 constituencies in 12 states of the Union are going to the polls.
According to the latest weather update by Skymet Meteorology Division in India, the cyclonic circulation over east Rajasthan working in conjunction with a Western Disturbance will continue to keep the weather cloudy and rainy in Northwest India.
Elections in Rajasthan
Considered to be a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stronghold, almost all the 20 constituencies going to the polls in Rajasthan today are likely to observe rain and thunderstorms today. Rain has been accompanied by strong winds ranging between 30 and 50 kmph in Alwar, Bikaner, Churu, Hanumangarh, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Sikar and Sri Ganganagar districts since morning.
Elections in Uttar Pradesh
Early morning downpour was witnessed in northwest Uttar Pradesh and the weather will turn cloudy by late afternoon in southcentral parts of the state. Voters here will get much relief from the scorching heat as the conditions are expected to remain pleasant.
Elections in Karnataka
The single-phase Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka began this morning. Here 435 candidates will be fighting for 28 seats and about 4.62 crore voters will exercise their franchise. Weather in the state will not dampen the spirits of BJP, who would attempt to retrieve lost ground to Congress in the Karnataka assembly elections of 2013. Rain, if any, is likely only during late afternoon or evening hours.
Elections in Rest of the country
People from 19 constituencies of Maharashtra will cast their votes in extremely hot and dry conditions. Similar would be the case in Jharkhand (6 constituencies), Bihar (7 constituencies), Odisha (11 constituencies), Chhattisgarh (3 constituencies) and Madhya Pradesh (10 constituencies). Solapur in Maharashtra and Jamshedpur in Jharkhand would see temperatures rising up to 40°C.
Bhopal and Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh would be a shade better with day maximums near 39°C. Light rain and thundershowers could make the situation better over Gwalior, Bhind and Morena.
People of Darjeeling in West Bengal will elect their candidate in a pleasant weather, with maximums settling around 20°C.
picture courtesy- india.com