Products on sale at a Jharkhand Rajya Khadi Gram Udyog emporium in Jamshedpur on Wednesday. (Bhola Prasad)

Jamshedpur, June 22: It’s said that khadi is the must-have poll gear for any Indian politician who doesn’t want to lose his deposit. And with frequent polls, the Mahatma’s trademark yarn rakes in the moolah, sometimes even enough to do some lasting good.

Elections at frequent intervals may drain the state exchequer to the tune of crores, but the coffers of the Jamshedpur outlets of Jharkhand Rajya Khadi Gram Udyog are brimming. And with soaring sales figures, comes a generous disposition. The Udyog opened emporiums at Bistupur and Ghorabanda on March 29 and May 5 this year, respectively, giving jobs to 40-odd needy women at the outlets.

All thanks to profitable elections, said Jamshedpur outlet manager Vibhuti Roy. “During the 2009 general election and Assembly election, our sales peaked between 25 and 30 per cent a day. During Kharsawan bypoll in February, sales increased by 40 per cent. And now, in the last leg of the Jamshedpur bypoll, counters are bustling again,” said Roy.

Pop picks for politicians are kurta pyjamas and Jawahar coats, he said. Women party workers also prefer to don khadi salwar kameez.

Jainandu, chairman of Jharkhand Khadi Gram Udyog Board, said the Jamshedpur outlets catered to Kolhan. “Of late, it has witnessed a rise in profit. We usually register sales between Rs 20,000 and Rs 25,000 each day from Jamshedpur. This summer, it sometimes touched Rs 1 lakh,” he said.

The personnel at the flagship khadi outlet on Bistupur Main Road are visibly enthused with all the pre-poll hustle and bustle. A senior official, who didn’t want to be named, said: “Earlier, elections came every five years. But during 2009-11, we had four in Kolhan, undoubtedly swelling our sales and profit margin.” Though he was cagey about figures, the smile was telling.

For the record, general elections were held in April 2009, Jharkhand Assembly elections were held in December 2009. After Jamshedpur MP Arjun Munda was sworn in as chief minister in September last year, he contested for a Rajya Sabha seat from the Kharsawan constituency, around 30km from Jamshedpur, in February 2011. The Jamshedpur Lok Sabha bypoll on July 1, necessary after Munda vacated the seat, is the last of this poll quartet.

Polls are expensive affairs. As Election Commission of India (Jharkhand regional unit) under-secretary Anjani Mishra said: “The government spends around Rs 11,000 on each booth.” Going by this thumb rule, Jharkhand, with 24,000 booths, meant the government spent around Rs 26 crore each on 2009 general and Assembly elections. The Kharsawan bypoll cost Rs 31 lakh, while the Jamshedpur one will be a pricey Rs 2 crore-plus.

Compared to these, money spent on a khadi wardrobe is chicken feed. But the board and its women employees are certainly not complaining.