GUWAHATI, April 7 - Weather played spoilsport as intermittent rainfall at various places across the State today caused major problems to political parties undertaking election campaign, including cancellation of public meetings.
This happened even as electioneering for the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls in Assam is at the final stages. Inclement weather also prevented use of helicopters by the political leaders at various places, forcing many of them to make the journey by road.
Sources in State BJP said that Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had to cancel a meeting at Juria as there was massive water-logging at the venue on account of heavy rainfall.
A meeting of NEDA convenor Himanta Biswa Sarma was cancelled at Tezpur, while another of State BJP president Ranjeet Kumar Dass was cancelled in Majuli.
Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Ripun Bora was forced to travel by road to attend party�s election campaign at Gohpur, Behali and Biswanath Chariali after his helicopter was not able to fly due to the heavy rainfall.
With voting in five constituencies of the State scheduled to take place on April 11, political parties are worried that continuation of rainy weather will cause further problems in their electioneering.
Even as political parties and leaders are hoping for the best, there is more bad news on the weather front.
The Meteorology department had predicted moderate rain and thundershower at most places over Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura and at many places over Arunachal Pradesh in the next three to four days.
Thunder squalls, with wind speed reaching up to 60-70 km per hour are also expected at isolated places over Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura in the next two days.
