'My body and phones gave up': covering India's heatwave election

[...]

Election workers like Dwivedi paid a heavy price over the six weeks of voting with dozens dying from heatstroke alongside scores of other people across the country as temperatures soared, hitting a record of around 49 C (120.2 F) in the capital Delhi in late May.

Another poll worker, who did not want to be named, was angry as he sat in the sweltering hut.

"We are the frontline of the (political) parties but we are treated as dispensable. If the (Election) Commission can't, our parties could have made some arrangements for us," he said.

[...]

As voting ended, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said the biggest learning point from the election was that the poll process should be completed before summer, according to Indian press reports.

One thing is for sure: with heatwaves breaking records around the world, this is not just a question for India, and as always, it is the poorest people across the world who will pay the highest price for the increasingly dramatic effects of our changing climate.