The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Curtains for cut-outs, banners?

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Curtains for cut-outs, banners?

T. Ramakrishnan

Cut-out culture, no longer permissible..

CHENNAI: Cut-outs and banners once characterised election campaigning in the State. Not any more. With just five days left for polls, the State does not give any indication of the intense electioneering that is on.

Congress leader and Union Minister of State G.K. Vasan, who has covered around 100 constituencies, says cut-outs and banners are hardly seen anywhere. The transformation is a fall-out of restrictions imposed by the Election Commission.

Speaking from Dindigul, president of the Indian Union Muslim League K.M. Khader Moindeen notes the poll panel directives have changed the way the campaigning is conducted.

"They help in reducing the election expenditure of parties," says Bharatiya Janata Party leader S. Thirunavukkarasar, who was busy organising the trip of his party leader L.K. Advani to Tiruchi and Aranthangi on Sunday.

In the wake of the poll panel directive the local administration removed cut-outs and banners put up at public places. "They permit us to have them only where we hold meetings," Thirunavukkarasar explains.

A senior official of the Election department says the rationale behind the directive is to provide a "level playing field" to all contestants.

While voters too are relieved at the absence of a large number of cut-outs and banners, there is a flip side to the story. The orders have had an adverse impact on the business of those who prepare cut-outs and banners.

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