On a sweltering Tuesday, as lakhs of voters braved the heat to cast their votes, emergency services were in high demand. Ahmedabad, with a scorching temperature of 43.3°C, was among nine locations in the state where the mercury soared above 40 degrees Celsius, posing a significant challenge to voters.
Emergency services reported that by 8 pm, paramedics had responded to 400 cases of heat-related illnesses across the state, with Ahmedabad accounting for a quarter of these incidents.
One such case was Surekha Rohit, a 40-year-old resident of Jashodanagar in Maninagar. She collapsed on her way home from the polling booth at midday. Local residents quickly came to her aid, offering her water and moving her to a shaded area before summoning an ambulance. “She was transported to LG Hospital for initial treatment in an EMRI 108 ambulance,” said Harshad Patel, a social worker from Amraiwadi.
Polling booth officials repeatedly urged voters to stay in the shade and remain hydrated while waiting to vote. The heat’s impact was most noticeable in the afternoon when voting nearly halted as people opted to stay indoors.
In Ahmedabad, three men – aged 54, 52, and 25 – experienced health issues due to the heat. They were swiftly taken to nearby government hospitals. “Elsewhere in Gujarat, a GSRTC employee was admitted to a Vadodara hospital after experiencing abdominal pain. Another official on poll duty in Vadodara was hospitalized due to respiratory problems. In Anand, a 26-year-old official was rushed to the hospital after his blood pressure plummeted,” an EMRI 108 official reported.
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