After BJP win, political kurta-sellers go saffron

Since a majority of candidates won on BJP ticket, saffron could well be the preferred colour of politicians now.

The shops outside Darulshafa MLA apartments are enough to update you with changing political equations in Lucknow. Muslim shopkeepers from Madhubani in Bihar who have been dressing UP politicians for several decades now have decided to turn saffron.

As soon as the BJP sweep of Uttar Pradesh (UP) became clear on Saturday, Haidar Ali, 60, a kurta-seller from Madhubani in Bihar ordered tailors who work for him to start making saffron kurtas. “I know the demand is going to peak. Since an over- whelming majority lawmakers from Uttar Pradesh have won on BJP ticket, saffron could well be the preferred colour of politicians now. The demand is expected to peak now,” said Ali who along with others sells stitched and unstitched khadi garments to politicians.

“Hum paanch minute main aadmi ko aam se khaas banatey hain (we transform a person from being simple to a VIP in five minutes). Our speciality is that we prepare kurtas for as little as ₹300 to ₹500,” he says.

“Actually, so many BJP lawmakers have been elected for the first time in the state. In any case the party had been out of power for past 15 years,” said Gulab Ansari, another shopkeeper.

Interestingly, a stone’s throw away from Darulshafa is the Janpath market where shops sell costly kurtas. “When they are raw they trust us. As they become mature they start opting for costly kurtas. We have been serving politicians for over four decades now to know how their preferences change,” they say.