The popular three-decade-old, household business fair that is held a month ahead of Diwali at Antonio D'Silva School's ground in Dadar West was asked to wind up abruptly as the State Election Commission (SEC) has decided to use the premises during polls. As a result, stall-owners who took loans from private creditors ranging from Rs 1 to Rs 1.6 lakh to stock up on material now face a major loss. The SEC, on the other hand, has said that it will try to get an extension for the fair.

The fair, Samartha Bajar Peth, organised this year by Samartha Vyayam Mandir in Dadar had 92 stalls selling clothes, grains, home-décor items, lanterns and rangoli powder. It began on August 23 and was to continue till October 30, with stall-owners focusing on the two weeks before Diwali. "Where do we keep our material? Will we get an alternative place at such short notice? How do we repay our loans?" said Satish Rane, one of the stall-owners.