Election Commission norms, alliances determine business
With days getting closer for the Assembly election, the demand for party flags of various shapes, sizes and colours is on the rise at Jayakumar’s wholesale outlet near the Clock Tower, in the city.
While sale of flags double during the elections, the 35-year-old says that the sale during the peak (election) season is only a fourth of the business they had prior to the 2006 Assembly elections.
Duration of the election sale period has also shrunk to about 25 to 30 days now, from 40 days in the yester years. According to him, in normal days they sell 20,000 to 30,000 flags a month and most of them were bought by the ruling party functionaries. In the election season, opposition parties too jump into campaigning and try giving a tough fight to the ruling party and it is the reason for increase in sale of flags.
They are hopeful of selling 50,000 flags for this election. “Unlike now, the Election Commission was liberal a decade ago and political parties bought flags and flooded the streets with party flags, posters and banner,” he said and recalled that their shop that does business on Ismail Street, near Clock Tower, for over 30 years had sold nearly two lakh flags per month during the elections till 2001.
Bulk production of flags, dyeing, stitching and packing begin six to eight months ahead of the election. More than 50 persons – including housewives – are engaged in getting the flags ready for the election season. Sale is better during Assembly elections than Lok Sabha elections, as it is a localised format where more candidates and parties contest.
It is quite a risky trade too as there are very few advanced bookings. “When a new political party is formed or when a faction of an existing party got separated and floats their party, the sale of flags and dhotis with the party flag’s border is very good. There have been instances when we made bulk productions keeping them in mind but were forced to incur a heavy loss as the party got merged with a bigger party,” he said.
Another factor affecting the business is alliance. “We make badges with symbols of the alliance parties in one badge. But we should sell them for that election else we can never sell it,” he said as probability of the same alliance lasting till the next election is a rarity.
Sale is better in rural assembly segments, compared to the city. Apart from Coimbatore, the leading wholesaler also sends bulk of his supplies to retailers in The Nilgiris, Karur and part of Tirupur district.