Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Baffling for voters, blessing for traders

A customer at Shri Ram Dresswala, Lalbaug

The ‘khichdi' of Maharashtra politics may be baffling for the voters, but it has come as a blessing for traders selling campaign material for political parties and candidates. "The more the parties, the more things to sell and more profits," said Narayan Chaudhary, owner of Shri Ram Dresswala in Lalbaug. The change in the parties has not impacted shopkeepers like him as much, who sell flags, scarves, and caps with political party symbols and names. "The cloth has the colors they are associated with. Symbols and colors do not change often," he said.

In today's landscape, where there are two NCPs and two Shiv Senas, those items with photos were at a loss, "But those were very few of them and now there are machines that can rectify it." Chaudhary opened his shop in 2004; five years later he started keeping political wares, mimicking his neighbouring shop, Parekh Brothers. "He is the guru of it. We came after him," he said.

Narayan Chaudhary, owner of Shri Ram Dresswala

Yogesh Parekh of Parekh Brothers said, "The previous symbols are still there so the material is in circulation. New items are NCP Sharad Pawar's tutari and Shiv Sena UBT's mashal. We have not kept Sharad Pawar's items because they are not selling as much as his party is contesting fewer seats."

When Parekh started out in the early 2000s, all his goods were made in-house. "Back then it was just Congress and Shiv Sena. As the business grew and more parties started coming, we started buying items made elsewhere," Parekh said.

In business, the two said, there is no distinction between states or parties. Items are supplied from vast locations spread across the country. "We keep the items of all the parties as long as it benefits us. Now all these items come from different places, including Hyderabad, Karnataka, Ahmadabad, Mathura, and Delhi."

Campaign material on display inside the shop

There are two instances when a change in the political landscape impacted the two: when Narayan Rane merged his Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksh with BJP and when Maharashtra Navnirman Sena changed their party flag. "We have a loyal customer base and elections mean profits for us. I supplied thousands of flags and scarves to Ratnagiri recently. People order from different parts. These items start from Rs 6 per piece to Rs 200, depending on the size," Parekh said. Both Parekh and Chaudhary said if there is excess stock, "It doesn't matter as Assembly elections are soon after".

Rs 6
Minimum cost of a campaign material