VIJAYAWADA: Small traders are doing big businesses by supplying campaign material to various political parties. The campaign material includes t-shirts bearing party symbols, caps, flags and water bottles with party logos and candidate photos. A few agencies are supplying flowers to buttermilk packets to major contestants during their electioneering.
Flex and digital printers are virtually flooded with bulk orders for supply of campaign material. P Karunakar Reddy who owns Suxus Digi Prints, said he has been supplying printed material to political parties for the last five years.
There is a great demand for t-shirts and flags. “As election campaign is getting intensified by the day, political parties are insisting on delivery of the material ordered within 24 hours and for this they are ready to pay extra money. In order to meet the delivery deadlines, we have hired additional workers by paying Rs 600-800 a day.”
DWCRA groups are also getting orders for supply of campaign material. V Sarojini Devi, a DWCRA woman from Gannavaram, said, “We usually produce screen printing sarees and sell them to textile shops and in exhibitions. To cash in on election season, we approached our local leaders and got orders for supply of caps and flags.”