Noida/Ghaziabad: With 14 dedicated workers toiling day and night by turn, it’s a busy time at Lalit Printers in Noida’s Sector 10. The workers in this shop have been printing banners, posters and brochures for political parties in Uttar Pradesh for the last 30 years, but now their business is largely focused on catering to the BJP.The orders have just started pouring in for the poster-maker. “This year, we have only taken orders from the office of MP Mahesh Sharma as we did not want opposition people to be at the same place. People are working over night now as orders are placed as per the campaign programme set by the candidate. Next week will be very busy,” said Lalit Gupta, the store’s owner.Gautam Budh Nagar’s BSP-SP-RLD candidate Satveer Nagar said their posters are being made by a member supporter of the party and they will be made as and when needed. The Congress campaign material is largely expected from the central office.In Ghaziabad, however, it is a dull season for the makers of political banners, flags and caps even though canvassing by candidates and political parties are on in full swing.The principal parties, especially the BJP and Congress, have outsourced campaign materials to their central offices.“During the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and even in the 2017 assembly polls, we did business to the tune of Rs 50 lakh but this time, we are in the middle of campaigning but still we have hardly got any work from parties and candidates. We have done business of less than Rs 2 lakh,” said Vinod Kurma Veenu, who has been in the business for the past 20 years.Ashwani Sharma of the district media cell of BJP said that all campaign material has been provided by the party. “The party has allotted specified number of campaign material per candidate with little difference in terms of content to suit the needs of a constituency,” he said.Political analysts are of the view that since the election commission is keeping a close eye on the expenses that have been fixed at up to Rs 70 lakh per candidate, parties, especially BJP and Congress, are getting material made at centralised locations.

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