NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all over Old Delhi’s Sadar Bazaar. From a `4 ring to Rs. 125 t-shirt, banners, buttons, posters, air freshners, wrist bands, to the flags and caps being stiched and the badges being glued—his smiling, bespectacled visage has been scaled to fit most of the publicity material stocked here.
As Delhi gears up for assembly elections to be held early next year, the shopkeepers in the Capital’s accessories wholesale market are readying too. And Modi is the flavour of the season.
Another key contender for the Delhi’s top post, former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, too, has made a metaphoric comeback in the market. Woollen mufflers—an accessory synonymous with the AAP leader—are being sold as part of the party’s election campaign material.
The shopkeepers who have traditionally been involved in manufacturing election material are expecting big orders as the poll season slowly kicks in.
“We have directions to display the prime minister as our main poster boy for the party’s campaign in Delhi,” said Anil Gupta of Anil Bhai Rakhi Wala, in the business since 1982. “We have orders from the states where huge election rallies are being held by Modi,” said Gupta.
The owners have manufactured most stuff related to the BJP as they expect big orders in the next few days once campaigning begins. Most BJP leaders, including those from the Delhi unit, are missing from the party’s posters. Since elections dates are yet to be announced as are the candidates, publicity material and orders for individual leaders are yet to arrive. “The campaigning will intensify only when the dates are declared and the leaders fan out for public meetings and rallies” Gupta said.
The shopkeepers are quick to innovate and sustain interest. Gupta said they made new gadgets to capture the space on mobile and laptops through party stickers , laser pen, crystal key chains, ‘Clean India’ T-shirts and caps, BJP’s membership drive badges, and pom-pom clapper sticks with the Lotus symbol.
Posters and banners occupy every inch of the space in the busy market. Interestingly, unlike last year’s elections, where Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party was considered the favourite, this year BJP’s lotus is everywhere and even in the pockets dominated by Muslims.
Some material related to the Congress and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha is also available as Jharkhand goes to polls next week. A local said given the number of BJP flags in the area, it appears to be a clear cut victory for the saffron party this time.
Modi is not only dominating the market, but is also cleverly advertising through autorickshaws—a stronghold of the AAP. The screens of meters in new autorickshaws have the Swachch Bharat Campaign poster with Modi’s photo pre-installed in them. This is something the auto drivers will have little control over no matter what their political allegiance.
“All the new autos have this feature,” said Vinod Kumar, who recently bought an autorickshaw.