Though it is the festive season, with Dussehra celebrations on and Diwali around the corner, consumer sentiment in Tamil Nadu, particularly Chennai, remains dampened.

Following the conviction and arrest of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on charges of corruption last Saturday, there have been protests, demonstrations and sporadic instances of violence.

Shopping was affected over the weekend as most parts of the city shut down on Saturday and public transport was hit. Though on Sunday several shops opened, not many shoppers ventured out. Malls and high street stores have been witnessing low footfall since then.

“Although the law and order situation is quite satisfactory, and no untoward incident took place in the city, shoppers hesitate to step out in big numbers, as they used to around this time,” said a top official of a leading mall here. However, he added, the situation was a shade better on Monday and Tuesday. Retailers in the mall expect consumer sentiment to bounce back soon, as this is the prime shopping period, he remarked.

The mood in T Nagar, the shopping hub of Chennai, was lacklustre. Though shops were open, shoppers were scarce.

Even jewellery stores in the ‘golden furlong’ of Usman Road saw poor sales. “Though this is not a wedding season, at least some casual buying would happen. But, due to the recent unfortunate development, there are few buyers in the shop. We expect sales to improve once some clarity emerges on the bail plea of the political leader,” said a leading jeweller in that stretch.

The Tamil film industry opted for a shutdown on Tuesday to express its solidarity with the AIADMK supremo. Theatres across the city remained closed.

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