The merchandising game of political parties can give commercial enterprises a run for their money. Party symbols and personalities are not just popping out of cutouts, banners and billboards from every nook and cranny of India’s cities. Now you even find them on T-shirts, umbrellas and other similar everyday items.
Many of the banners and hoardings are in violation of the poll code. In Delhi alone, three lakh posters were removed and 131 FIRs lodged by the police for defacement of public property.
In the city’s Sadar Bazaar area, shops sell merchandise catering to many political parties. Elections are busy times for the shops that offer everything from party banners to flags. Some of these shops began stocking customised keychains, bottles, masks and other knick-knacks from Diwali last year to be ready for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.