The cyclone Ockhi over the Arabian Sea has weakened but is moving towards north-eastwards and is expected to make a landfall in the next few hours most probably in Surat and around the coastal areas of Gujarat.
The political parties are struggling to keep up the tempo of their respective campaigns, as they have been forced to make changes due to the extreme weather conditions. Most of the political meetings and rallies scheduled for on 5 December and over next two days have been cancelled or rescheduled.
The Bhartiya Janata Party President Amit Shah, as well as Congress’ to-be-President Rahul Gandhi, have already taken a hit in terms of cancelling rallies. Their respective rallies on Tuesday were called-off.
While Rahul Gandhi came back to Gujarat from Delhi after completing the formalities of filing nomination for the party president’s post and addressed a rally in Anjar town of Kutch, the party chose to cancel the other three scheduled rallies at Surendranagar, Morbi, and Dhrangadhra.
On the other hand, BJP President Amit Shah had to cancel his two political rallies at Shihor and Mahuva in Bhavnagar district and another one in Rajula under Amreli district.
The BJP had to also call off rallies of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje that were to take place in Surat on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, another meeting and roadshow to be held in Bapunagar area of Ahmedabad by MP Manoj Tiwari’s also had to be called off as the area witnessed light rains in the morning.
Shankersinh Vaghela heading the Jan Vikalp front also cancelled his rallies and roadshows to be held across Saurashtra in towns of Junagadh, Mahuva, and Palitana.
The Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani held an emergency meeting in Surat to assess the preparedness of the local administration and took stock of the situation.
Later, Rupani spoke to the media saying all communication lines are open and the administration is monitoring that no water clogging takes place. He also assured supply of water for Surat city, if a need arises.
The Election Commission of India is also being reported of the developments and has asked Chief Electoral Officer in Gujarat to ensure all those affected are able to exercise their vote even if they are rehabilitated due to the cyclone. Preparation for a contingency plan is said to be underway.
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also keeping an eye on the developments and had earlier in a tweet requested all BJP functionaries to help the common people affected by the cyclone. In the tweet the PM wrote;
Continuously monitoring the situation arising in various parts of the country due to #CycloneOckhi. Spoke to all relevant authorities and officials. All possible assistance is being provided to those affected.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 5, 2017
With #CycloneOckhi expected to make a landfall in Gujarat, I appeal to @BJP4Gujarat Karyakartas to focus on helping people across the state. Our Karyakartas should devote themselves to providing all possible assistance and stand shoulder to shoulder with fellow citizens.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 5, 2017
The Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi also took to Twitter to share his thoughts for the cyclone-hit areas, saying;
My thoughts are with people who will be braving the onslaught of #CycloneOckhi. Urge Congress leaders and workers in Gujarat to provide all necessary help and support to the needy during this hour of crisis.
— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 5, 2017