Inflation and strictness of State Election Commission keep canvassing for the local body polls cool. It is hard for the poll material dealers to find customers. So far, the customers (candidates) did a meagre buying of the poll materials. For high rates of poll materials, most of the candidates are not turning up to purchase lots of the banners and posters. Those who turn up place little order.
It is major cause of concern for traders, who deal in poll material. The traders blame inflation for poor sell that has become major cause of concern since merely few days are left for canvassing that scheduled to conclude on April 26. As they look at poll materials lying unsold, lines of anxiety emerge on their forehead.
Aushaf, a trader near Kutchehary chowk, call it a dull season. Since morning to evening, he sits idle since only few customers visit the shop for purchasing banners and posters. Sale of middle size flags, banners and posters dipped. Similarly, there are few buyers for big party flags stocked at the shop.
Candidates for the post of councillors don’t want to invest much in poll material. Independent candidate for the post also make little purchasing. They are confined to merely posters. None of the candidates for the post of councillors approached him for getting made flags and other poll materials.
Sitting amid flags and banners stock, Ausaf said, “Time has changed tremendously. Rates of poll material have increased due to hike in production cast due to inflation. Earlier, a small flag used to cost around 50 paisa. Now, the same comes for Rs3. Instead of purchasing the flags and big banners, candidates go for posters those merely require Rs 100 or Rs200 for a thousand.”
low sale of the material has become a cause of concern for him since he thinks that the material would remain non-sold and the money he invested in the business would be blocked till next polls. “Dealing in poll material is a tightrope walk since it is business of uncertainty. One cannot plan its sell in advance,” he said, adding that merely four days were left for campaigning.
“I don’t think that now I would get customers for the material,” he said. Moreover, a candidate turned up for purchasing the material. But he returned after making inquiry about the rate. “People come and go back after taking rates,” he said. He said that this time, on an average, each candidate of the political parties was purchasing poll materials worth Rs5,000 and Rs7,000.
Congress candidate for the post of councillor from ward number 17, Feroz Akhtar said, “Rate of the poll material has gone up. So I purchased polling material for few thousand rupees. There is no further plan for it. Now I would focus on door-to-door campaigning. Now voters don’t pay attention to these things. So it is better not to spend much on the poll material.”