The battle for advertisement space ahead of the crucial Assembly elections has claimed as its victims walls and government assets across the city.

Wall paintings have come up in several parts of the city, defacing government property and violating provisions of the Bihar Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, 1985. The works are in support of the BJP campaign.

The party, facing a dearth of hoarding space, has taken to the walls of the city. The hoardings are out of the BJP's reach because the JDU, for the next three to four months, has occupied most of them to put up mammoth-sized posters of chief minister Nitish Kumar. Left with no other option, the party has had to resort to wall paintings on different structures.

The frequency of the paintings has been on the rise with every day. Graffiti can be sighted on walls and pillars of several rail overbridges, including Gardanibagh and Bhikhari Thakur road overbridge (in front of the Assembly). Office premises such as the Bharatiya Nritya Kala Mandir have not been spared too. Besides, the BJP's election slogans scream out loud from walls on either side of Beer Chand Patel Path. Similar wall paintings can be spotted in Patna City and along the New Bypass Road.

Senior BJP leaders said the party high command has instructed the state unit to put up election slogans on almost every wall from Patna to Muzaffarpur. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to address a public meeting in the north Bihar town on July 25.

Nand Kishore Yadav, the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, said: "Wall painting is one of the mediums to take our message to the electorate in the run-up to the elections. We are using all resources available with us to communicate with the voters and wall painting is one of them."

Senior officials in the Election Commission, however, claimed such promotions on government property was prohibited and action can be initiated against those responsible by the district administration.

"Wall paintings on government property are prohibited under the Bihar Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, 1985. The act is effective even when the model code of conduct is not in place, so the district administration has the power to act against those responsible for such defacement," said additional chief electoral officer, Bihar, R. Lakshmanan.

Sources claimed that once charges are proved under the act, the offender is required to bear the cost of restoring the wall to its original state and pay a nominal fine. In case the offender fails to remove the defacement, the district authorities take corrective measures and recover the expenses on it from the person responsible for the defacement. Besides, the offender can be prosecuted under provisions of the relevant law.

With regard to wall paintings on private property, Lakshmanan said political parties are required to take prior consent from the owner of the premises and submit a copy of that to the returning officer of the area concerned.

JDU leaders said they would lodge formal complaints with the district administration in the matter.

"The BJP has no regard for norms as they are making wall paintings on government properties across the state, which is prohibited. Prime Minister Modi talks about Swachh Bharat and this is how his own party is propagating the message of cleanliness by defacing government property. We would approach the district administration and other authorities to take action against such nuisance," said Sanjay Singh, the JDU spokesperson.

The state BJP, however, sees nothing wrong in the wall paintings. "There is nothing wrong in the party's decision to opt for wall painting in private spaces, and there is no violation of model code of conduct too," said the state wing's vice-president, Lal Babu Prasad, refusing to buy the argument that bridges and government offices were public places.