Why can't elections be held in a comfortable season?

Six phases of the Assembly election in West Bengal have got over. Elections are due in Tamil Nadu and Kerala are due on May 16. The political heat is and will be always there but questions are being raised about the justification of holding elections in the summer. Why can't elections be held in a more favourable season?

Experts will cite constitutional rules

Constitutional experts will say elections will have to be finished before the five-year duration of the current Assembly in the concerned states gets over. Since elections are being held traditionally in summer in these states, so it has to be continued like this.

But aren't the people the most important part in the festival of democracy?

The counter question to that is: Elections are, at the end of the day, for the people, by the people and of the people. The Constitution is for the people. Hence, no harm will be done if the well-being of those who really matter in the festival of democracy are served before anything else. We all know how ruthless the weather becomes in the country during the summer. Can't the authorities try to ensure that no life is lost to the heat during the election, as it is seen in many cases.

It's a challenge for officials and political parties too

Even for the organisers and political activists, election in the heat makes it no less uncomfortable. Preparing for the election, especially if it is a multi-phase one, is a long-term exercise and news about officials falling sick or even dying have not been unusual.

Moreover, elections nowadays pose a big challenge to the common man since the authorities take buses for transporting poll materials, officials and personnel. In the heat, it doubles the commoners' problem. Can't the authorities see this aspect with compassion?

Elections can be planned much ahead

True, the authorities have to deal with a far bigger issue of conducting the election fairly. Political influence and clashes become so dominant issues that the common man's comfort becomes less significant. But elections are not unforseen events. A lot can be planned for a comfortable election, which is scheduled every five years, unless some political calamity happens.