THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A day after the elections, political parties in the city have begun clearing out billboards and cutouts of their candidates. According to the model code of conduct, billboards and flex boards should be removed within 48 hours post-election.
While remnants of every election remain on walls and junctions as posters and billboards, the political parties pointed out that the election campaigning this year adhered to the green protocol.
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KPCC secretary Manacaud Suresh said no plastic materials were used for campaigning and they have used hundred per cent cotton materials for billboards and flex boards. "We began removing billboards right after the closure of polling.
The rest of the campaigning materials in and outside the city will be removed in a short time span and we have assigned a special squad to do the same. Around 90 per cent of the work has been done, as the materials used are eco-friendly we are planning to reuse the same to avoid wastage," he said. Suresh also added the flex boards raised on junctions which dullens the beauty of the city were given priority and were removed initially.
Meanwhile, BJP activist Karamana Ajith said flags and festoons in and near polling booths were removed after 6 pm on Tuesday itself. "There was no need to compel anybody to initiate the removal of flex boards as it automatically began right after voting. Even though the voting process ended late, we made sure boards were removed," he said.
Anavoor Nagappan, district secretary, CPM, stressed it is the duty of each political party to clear out the waste generated at each polling booth along with the removal of billboards of candidates erected. "This year no plastic flex boards were raised, we have already assigned workers at every polling booth to clear out the waste. Within two days, every single board used for campaigning will be removed," he said.