Printers, designers hit by EC stricture

September 23: The Election Commission's cut on poll expenses and use of new campaign modes have cost professional painters, printers and ...

September 23: The Election Commission8217;s cut on poll expenses and use of new campaign modes have cost professional painters, printers and art designers dearly. Business is down by at least 60 per cent for some leading artists, even as several have almost drawn a blank this time.

Except minor work of printing of pamphlets and handbills and art designing, there is no major work for artists.

Says Tara Dutt, a painter at Rajgarh, 8220;This time I only got to paint a few hundred flags needed for a local rally. Other designing work or wall writing work did not come from any party.8221;

Similarly, Shimla8217;s Ajit Painters and two other painters who used to get business for at least Rs 1 lakh each during the elections, earned a meagre Rs 25,000 during the entire poll campaign.

The poll managers of political parties also admit there is no budget for this job.

Moreover, the EC8217;s guidelines on poll expenses and availability of readymade poll material reaching them from the central election office of the party, forcedthem to impose restraints.

The only sizeable work which the Shimla artists got was for the poll rallies of Sonia Gandhi and L.K. Advani.

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A Solan-based painter is surprised at the paradoxical situation. 8220;The elections are happening more frequently but business is on a decline,8221; he says.

8220;The wall writing and art designing work is completely gone and whatever is left banners, flags and buntings has also become more mechanised. Artists are a discarded lot,8221; feels Tanvir, an artist working with a local painter.

The artists are also seeing the change in campaign styles of the parties as a reason for the loss of business. The days when party flags, banners and buntings were made of good cloth and painted by hand, are long gone.

Now, polythene has replaced cloth, as it is cheaper. Wall painting has been completely banned by returning officers and posters are also not popular.Says Ganesh Dutt, BJP publicity manager, 8220;There was hardly any major work order except when Union Home Minister L.K. Advani8217;stour programme came.8217;Similarly, the Congress too did not spend much money on art work.

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8220;Our main election material came from the central office and what was required locally did not cost much,8221; Vineet Gautam, Pradesh Congress Committee secretary, said.

In Himachal Pradesh, because of the geographical layout, the candidates normally reach the voters on foot and vehicles are not needed every time.This also helps the parties in reducing their spending on diesel and petrol.Resourcewise, the BJP and Himachal Vikas Congress remained ahead of the Congress this time, which had the disadvantage of being out of power.