The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : `No graffiti' fiat takes sheen out of campaign

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Apr 27, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

`No graffiti' fiat takes sheen out of campaign

Karthik Subramanian

"For new contestants, it has come as a huge blow"

CLEAN SWIPE: Election officials' strict implementation of the `` no graffiti'' code on city walls has seen the election campaign lose some of its lustre. — Photo : M. Vedhan

CHENNAI: The strict implementation of the "no graffiti" rule on city walls has not only taken some sheen out of the election campaign but also created difficulties for some new candidates who are finding it tough to reach out to voters.

Some of the candidates who attended the District Elections Officer's meeting on Monday raised the issue. "The residents are aware of the sitting MLAs and others who have contested in previous elections. But for the new contestants, the lack of graffiti is a huge blow. It was a cost-effective way of reaching the people. No amount of pamphlets or posters can compensate for it," a first-time candidate, who did not want to be named, said.

Disgruntled candidates

The candidates are also disgruntled that the rule is restricted to the Corporation limit and candidates in municipal and rural areas have a field day painting the town in their party colours. The unusual increase in "door-to-door" campaigning has also been attributed to the restrictions implied.

The district election officials have whitewashed the graffiti off all private and public walls citing Tamil Nadu Open Places (Prevention of disfigurement) Act, 1959.

They have also said the expenses would be charged against the candidates' poll expenditure account. It remains to be seen if the officials are able to do that. In a similar exercise during the last Parliamentary elections, Chennai Corporation spent more than Rs. 5 lakh for cleaning up the graffiti but is yet to recover the costs. CPM candidate for Perambur S.K. Mahendran sees a silver lining in the issue. "Now candidates have to necessarily go on door-to-door campaigning and this gives a chance for grassroots workers to stand for elections."

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