Kolkata, April 30 (IANS): For the hundreds of thousands of voters queuing up in blazing sunshine in Kolkata on Saturday for the fifth phase of the West Bengal assembly polls, a unique halo around the sun held out hope of refreshing rains.
According to Kaustuv Chaudhuri, Secretary General, Kolkata Astronomy Centre, this phenomenon “happens in specific weather conditions due to splitting of light because of the presence of water molecules in the atmosphere”.
“This could indicate rainfall in the days ahead," Chaudhuri told IANS.
On Saturday, usually a holiday for most, people waited patiently in lengthy queues outside poll booths as polling began for 53 constituencies at 7 a.m. in South 24-Parganas, Hooghly and Kolkata South. Nearly 1.24 crore voters are eligible to cast their votes in this round.
When contacted officials at the regional meteorological office in Kolkata said rain was forecast in the next 24 hours in South-24 Parganas and East Midnapore.
"It is a kind of a rainbow and we are getting reports of it being spotted in other districts as well," a met official told IANS.