Surat, A’bad churn out poll material

Surat/Ahmedabad: As parties hit the streets for the general election, textile manufacturers and printers from Gujarat continue to garner the lion’s share of orders for election-related materials such as flags, banners, scarves and caps.
As India votes over the next two months or so, manufacturers have been getting orders for printing of election material from across the country.While there are about a dozen election material printing units in Ahmedabad, who have been getting orders for the last two months, similar units in Surat say business has been subdued this time around.
Umar Kucherawala, the director of a textile processing house, said he has been getting orders for materials such as flags, banners and scarves from political parties. “There has been increased demand this time and for the last two months, we have been processing 15,000 metres of fabric per day to fulfil orders. We have got orders from political parties such as the BJP, Congress, NCP, Shiv Sena and TMC,” he said.
Abu Kucherawala of Ekta Traders, claims he was the first to begin the business of printing election materials, in 1990. He said that compared to the assembly election, orders are smaller for a general election. “The number of players has increased over the years, but Ahmedabad and Surat continue to dominate the election material printing market in the country,” he said.
Arif Pomchawala, president of Ahmedabad Hand Screen Printing Association, said, “Ahmedabad supplies election material to all political parties for elections across the country. Earlier, lots of small units were engaged in making such materials but now the number of units active in this business is around 12-15 but they are significantly bigger.”
Meanwhile, Surat’s textile market, which is normally buzzing with activity before elections, is yet to get a start amid a slowdown in the textile business. Previously, the market’s atmosphere was a barometer for political excitement, with traders and workers often working overtime to meet demand for election paraphernalia. However, the existing situation has left many wondering about what factors have led to the lull.
Manoj Goyal, a trader known for supplying election material, is yet to set up a store this year. “There is a lot of time left for voting and the entire schedule is spread over two months. It is unlike past years, when due to the short campaign period parties were in a hurry to acquire material in bulk,” Goyal said.
Other traders say the work of printing election material is going elsewhere. Arvind Gadia, a textile trader, used to deal in election material but has stopped doing so now. “The work is getting diverted to Mathura, Hyderabad and other places,” said Gadia.
Meanwhile, some textile manufacturers are getting orders directly from political parties, with local traders not involved. “We are getting orders from various parts of the country for campaign material. There is an increase in orders from South India for BJP material,” said Sanjay Sarawagi, MD, Laxmipati Group.