Campaign vendors fail to do business

Expecting bumper business this poll season, campaign material traders have failed to set their cash registers ringing so far. The reason is that with less than a month for the elections to the 95member Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC), uncertainty continues to prevail on the final list of candidates for all major political parties.

From caps to badges, mufflers to flags, stickers to banners and even umbrellas, almost everything has a party symbol. The variety is amazing at the various one stop makeshift stalls that have sprung up in the twincitv. However, business is yet to gain momentum.

“Though business seems to be bad now, aspiring candidates and party workers have been making inquiries and may drop in with bulk demands and that too, at the last moment. We have to be prepared and hope for the best,” said a Bhayandarbased trader who revealed that business is on a downward spiral for the past couple of years because parties have started controlling everything in a very centralized fashion by providing their own campaign material.

To add to their woes there are a few independent can- didates who stand a chance due to the four-member panel system. And last but not the least, the strict enforcement of the model code of conduct, has further dampened their spirits. If political parties want to publish campaigning material, prior permission has to be obtained from the authorities.