India is gearing up for a massive two-month-long election involving nearly a billion voters, and the demand for political party merchandise and flags is soaring. Garment makers are expanding their operations and working overtime to keep up with the surge in demand ahead of the first voting day on April 19. Some factories are temporarily converting their production lines to focus on making election flags and banners instead of saris.
Mukesh Agarwal, a factory owner in Mathura, a key political battleground in Uttar Pradesh, mentioned that there are around 40 similar factories in the area. He emphasized that banners and flags are the most cost-effective items used in political campaigns.
The production of election merchandise is a low-profit, high-volume business, with prices for items like party badges starting as low as 1 rupee ($0.01). Some factories have the capacity to produce up to a million flags a day to meet the increasing demand during the election season.
At the time of the elections, India is covered with posters and flags from numerous political parties and candidates. Flags are particularly popular among less educated individuals, as they serve as a visual representation of party symbols and are used to promote campaigns.
Surat, a textile hub in Gujarat, along with smaller hotspots like Mathura and Hyderabad, are major centers for the production of election merchandise. The influx of political parties spending on various goods and services, including small merchandise and even helicopter rentals, gives the economy a boost.
Gulshan Khurana, the general secretary of a traders association in Delhi’s Sadar Bazar market, stated that political parties spend between 30 billion to 50 billion rupees on election merchandise, creating millions of jobs. Business during this election season has seen a significant increase compared to the last election in 2019, when PM Modi’s BJP spent a record amount to stay in power.
An opinion poll released recently predicted a comfortable victory for a coalition supported by Modi. In contrast, opposition politician Rahul Gandhi from the Indian National Congress mentioned during his party’s manifesto release that the election is much closer than is being portrayed. The market exchange rate is currently at $1 equal to 83.2930 Indian rupees.
(Reporting by Sunil Kataria; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
