When Karan Shah, 32, goes to vote in the western state of Gujarat, he and his 59-year-old mother will be armed with water bottles and fruit to beat the heat. To escape long queues, they plan to reach the polling station early in the morning.

Mr Shah and his mother are among millions of Indians who will cast their ballots in the third phase of the general election on Tuesday, when 94 constituencies across 12 states go to the polls.

India’s general election is usually held every five years in April and May, and voters and polling officials are used to dealing with the harsh summer heat. But this year, India – along with other parts of Asia – is experiencing one of its hottest summers on record, in line with recent years. Last month, at least nine people died due to heat-related issues as searing temperatures hit the country.

In April, federal minister Nitin Gadkari fainted while addressing a campaign rally in the western state of Maharashtra, later explaining that the crowded venue and high temperature had made him feel uneasy. Days before that, in the eastern city of Kolkata where temperatures soared above 43C, a television anchor passed out while presenting weather updates. She later said that the studio had become extremely hot as its cooling systems had failed.

And there is no respite in sight – India’s weather department has predicted longer and more intense heatwaves in May.

Election authorities are taking steps to address this by supplying drinking water in polling booths and extending voting timings.

But some experts have speculated that the extreme temperatures may be impacting voter turnout.

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