The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Sticker vendors do roaring business

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 07, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Sticker vendors do roaring business

R. Sundaram

ERODE: After dhotis, it's stickers that have caught the fancy of volunteers of various political parties. And roadside vendors and wholesale sticker dealers are only swift to cash in on the trend! Thousands of stickers of political leaders, from Jayalalithaa, M. Karunanidhi, M.K. Stalin, to Vaiko and Vijaya Kanth, are up for grabs. As there is no ban on pasting them, stickers adorning vehicles of volunteers is a common sight in the town.

From Rs. 5 to Rs. 200

Sticker merchants say the stickers range from Rs. 5 to Rs. 200. The stickers are procured in large numbers from manufacturers in Sivakasi, Erode and other places, and sold to retailers. A few merchants buy them from wholesalers, and sell them to merchants in other districts.

Meanwhile, the Collector, D. Karthikeyan, and the Superintendent of Police, Thenmozhi, have instructed the police to register cases against political parties defacing walls. Over 116 cases were filed till Wednesday, of which 80 cases were in Erode alone.

Cases registered

The police have instructed authorities of the Periya Mariamman Temple to use loud speakers only till 10 p.m. They registered cases against organisers who conducted cultural programmes in view of the festival, beyond 10 p.m.

In Pallipalayam, political parties are yet to begin campaigning.

However, parties such as the DMK, AIADMK and BJP are busy painting walls in municipal and panchayat areas.

Representatives of parties said that the election works will begin on April 10.

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