Patna, Oct. 29: The politicians of the state are not only making news on the national arena, they have also captured the imagination of the makers of firecrackers.

Crackers, bombs, sparklers and rockets named after Lalu Prasad, Ram Vilas Paswan, Nitish Kumar and Rabri Devi, are selling like hotcakes in the city and are set to brighten up the skies this Diwali.

Nitish Kumar leads the items in terms of the price range. Lalu bombs and Rabri chatai bomb are also in demand.

Saurabh Kumar, a college student, said: “Firework manufacturers have named crackers after Lalu, Rabri, Nitish and Paswan to cash in on their popularity. This is a good idea. The wholesale firecracker market is already flooded with different varieties of crackers, which bear the names and photographs of famous celebrities.”

Mohammad Wasim, owner of a firecracker shop in the Patna City area, said: “Nitish rocket and Lalu bomb are most in demand. Paswan atom bombs and Rabri bomb are not that much in demand. The firecrackers named after Nitish Kumar, priced at Rs 200, are doing good business. The Lalu bombs are for Rs 75, Paswan bomb for Rs 18 and Rabri chatai bomb for Rs 16.”

Wasim added: “Nitish rocket is the first preference for people. The rocket goes high in the sky and blasts into colourful sparkles. The Lalu bomb is also in demand. But the people are not much buying Paswan and Rabri chatai bomb.”

Another shop owner, Mohammad Javed, said: “Firecrackers named after Ram Vilas Paswan is a new entry this year. It is not doing very good business.”

Javed recalled the years when firecrackers named after Lalu and Rabri outsold all other brands in the market. He said: “The high sales of the Lalu and Rabri crackers were the accepted index of the popularity of such crackers among the people. Now, the Nitish brand of crackers is giving them stiff competition. The Lalu and Rabri crackers are standing nowhere in terms of popularity and range.”

Sonu Kumar, a RJD supporter, however, cited the high sales of crackers named after Lalu and Rabri. He said: “Lalu and Rabri may have been voted out of power in the state but there is no end to the people’s affection for them. Nitish Kumar has been ruling Bihar for the past five years but he lags behind in the battle of the brands.”

Shopkeeper Aditya Kumar, in Kazhkhalla area, said popular names do help in the increased sale of firecrackers. He said: “The crackers, named after politicians, catch the customers’ fancy.” A shopkeeper in the area said items named after celebrities are doing good business as well this year.

Mohammad Azam, another shopkeeper, said: “Nitish Kumar has the image of a sophisticated man. Lalu’s rough and rural touch has made bombs named after him more popular. Children love to buy Lalu bombs rather than Nitish bombs.”