Bengal Phase 2 poll campaign ends; India dominates global heat list; more

Campaigning for the second phase of West Bengal Assembly elections has concluded as 142 constituencies, including Bhabanipur and Panihati, prepare for voting on April 29. Prime Minister Narendra Modi released an audio message and letter to voters, while the BJP shifted its strategy to focus on women's safety and regional cultural traditions. The party fielded the mother of the RG Kar hospital victim in Panihati to challenge the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on security issues. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee led a fourteen-kilometre march, emphasising state welfare schemes like Lakshmi Bhandar. Simultaneously, India is facing a severe heatwave, with 95 of the world's 100 hottest cities located in the country. Temperatures in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh have crossed 44 degrees Celsius, leading to school timing adjustments and health advisories. These environmental conditions coincide with the final polling phase, testing political strategies across urban and rural demographics before the May 4 results.