Candidates of four Lok Sabha seats in Bengal, cutting across political lines, took a break on Sunday from their campaigns before the June 1 voting day to focus on helping people in south and southwest regions, which are likely to be worst-hit by cyclone Remal.

Remal is expected to hit hardest in multiple Assembly constituencies of three Lok Sabha seats — Mathurapur, Joynagar, and Basirhat. Parts of the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency are also likely to face the cyclone's wrath if the location of the landfall does not shift at the last moment.

According to meteorological officials, cyclone Remal has already intensified into a "severe cyclonic storm" and is likely to make landfall between Bengal's Sagar Island and Bangladesh's Khepapura on Sunday midnight. Coastal and riverine parts of North and South 24-Parganas have started experiencing the impact of Remal with gusty winds and rain.

Bapi Haldar, the Trinamool Congress candidate from Mathurapur, which includes coastal areas like Raidighi, Kakdwip and Gangasagar, cancelled all his scheduled campaign events to tour vulnerable riverbanks and alert people to move to safer locations.

"Saving people's lives is more important than anything. I cancelled all my campaign programmes and left home early. Now I am in Raidighi's Nandakumarpur area, visiting five vulnerable points on the river embankments that may be breached," said Haldar on Sunday afternoon, instructing party workers to identify concrete buildings in areas like Sagar Island, Kakdwip, Kulpi, and Raidighi to help people move there fast.

"We have opened a camp office in every Assembly segment to assist people in need from today (Sunday)," Haldar added.

Within an hour of Haldar's visit, Trinamool national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee instructed party workers to be on the ground and help people in trouble.

"During these crises, you will find TMC leaders and workers on the ground, working round the clock to help you. I request TMC workers to be on the ground during these hard times and help people," said Abhishek at a rally at Baduria in Basirhat.

A TMC source said that after Abhishek's instruction, the party's rank and file in all four Lok Sabha seats, including his constituency Diamond Harbour, were activated to reach out to people.

Haldar's opponent, BJP candidate Ashok Purkait, was in Kakdwip playing a similar role. Purkait said three campaign rallies in Kakdwip, Namkhana and Lakshmikantapur were cancelled.

BJP's Mathurapur candidate Ashok Purkait at Fraserganj in Namkhana of South 24-Parganas on Sunday. Picture by Hedaytulla Purkait.

"We have formed a rescue team of 80 party workers to assist people in four constituencies likely to be hit by the upcoming cyclone," said Purkait, adding that he had contacted authorities of various organisations where at least a few hundred people could take shelter if they become homeless following the cyclone's impact.

In Sandeshkhali island, which is expected to face the cyclone's impact, both BJP and TMC workers, along with teams from the district administration, went to the riverbank areas to alert people to leave their homes for safe shelters.

"We formed a team of 50 people in Sandeshkhali island who have visited embankments of three rivers to find vulnerable points from where water may gush in," said Anup Das, a BJP leader

A source said Basirhat's BJP candidate Rekha Patra cancelled her campaign plans for Monday and decided to visit cyclone-hit areas.