Clean walls, streets: Poll fever missing in Jharkhand

‘‘Every wall in the city centre carries posters of films. There is no skyline where banners and billboards of consumer goods are not put up. But ever since the CEC sahib put a ban on wall write-ups and banners, our stocks are gathering dust,’’ said Gupta.

His shop had procured Rs 5 lakh-worth election material, including Congress party flags, banners, party symbol, badges, pens, stickers bearing the picture of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, among other things. ‘‘We had thought the Assembly poll was taking place in this state for the first time so we will do good business. But the partymen are not buying anything,’’ said Gupta.

Yogesh Kumar, Anil Garg and Ramchandra Awasthi, who had come from Lucknow to sell campaign material for the BJP in the state, echoed the same views. The cost of a sticker, cap and the saffron badge carrying the picture of BJP president L.K. Advani costs anything between Rs 5 and Rs 15.

The men had set up their shops right outside the BJP’s state HQ here after the election was notified by the Election Commission last month. ‘‘We had invested Rs 5-7 lakh each, but we have been able to sell material worth Rs 2000-2500 only so far,’’ lamented Garg.

A delegation led by the JMM MP Stephen Marandi met the CEC recently and tried to persuade him to allow the candidates to put up posters and write ups on those walls whose owners permitted them. But the Commission is yet to give its nod.

The state chief electoral officer, A.K.Pandey, had notified that in case any candidate was found to have come up with a poster or write up, the state’s Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, 1985, would be invoked against him. ‘‘Anybody who defaces any property in public view by writing or marking with ink, chalk or paint or any other material, except for the purpose of indicating the name and address of the owner or occupier of such property, shall be deemed to have committed an offence under this Act and shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months or fine which may extend to Rs 1000, or with both,’’ a section of the Act states.

‘‘This Act was never invoked against those who had defaced the walls of the state with posters of films and consumer goods. But the EC is out to use it to rob democracy’s biggest festival of election in which wall write-ups, posters and banners help generate political consciousness among the people,’’ remarked Marandi.

Residents, however, are a happy lot. ‘‘Achha kiya tamasha band kara diya,’’ said Praveen Kumar, a doctor.