Workers print posters of candidates ahead of the panchayat elections, in Patna. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Patna, April 8: Polls in the state are festive time for printers.

Elections in Bihar are reputed to be colourful, and with panchayat polls in the state scheduled to begin from April 20, candidates and parties in the fray do not want to be left behind. So preparations are on full swing to get ready posters, calendars, pamphlets and posters.

Bulk orders are going out to printing presses, who are running to the bank laughing, with the sudden spurt in their profits because of the poll season.

For instance, Shanti Printers on Arya Kumar Road that has bagged the orders of more than 2,000 candidates to prepare their symbols and other items. Owner Rajiv Ratan Singh is an old hand at the poll campaign material business — he has been doing this for the past 25 years.

“Sales have really gone up with the coming panchayat polls. Plenty of orders are pending. More than 2,000 candidates have placed orders with us in the past 25 days,” said Singh.

He added: “The panchayat elections are bigger than the Assembly elections because thousands of candidates contest these. Many constituencies have more than 10 contestants. Each candidate has a different symbol so there is a plethora of election symbols.”

Singh is not complaining: more work means more profit. The only flip side of the affair is the deadline.

“There are more than 40 workers in my press. There are also designers, putting together the campaign material on the computer. But even then, we will take at least a week from the date of order to deliver the stuff,” said Singh, elaborating on the work pressure.

Manohar Ram, a candidate who had come to place an order at Singh’s press, said: “Campaign material is very important for a candidate. It can influence the result of the elections.

“The better your campaign, the more votes you are likely to attract. The electorate also like to see symbols that are unique and different from others,” added Ram.

Who said election campaigns were cut and dry affairs? They can be entertaining enough, if not for the candidate then at least for the electorate.

Also, if Assembly elections are short and swift, panchayat polls are akin to Test matches. The campaign period is long and it requires enterprise and character to keep the audience (or the public) attracted.

“We get a longer campaign period in panchayat polls as compared to Assembly or parliamentary elections. So it is important to give it our best shot,” added Ram.