A tailoring shop in Ranchi. Telegraph picture

Ranchi, Nov. 13: Elections round the corner, tailors are stitching up a string of deals.

As politicians put away their regular garments and settle for the traditional khadi kurta-pyjama coupled with a waistcoat, tailoring units on the Vidhan Sabha premises are swamped with orders. And most leaders prefer white and muslin khadi.

Md Shamim, who has been running a shop on the Vidhan Sabha premises since 2002, said so far he has received 15 to 20 orders for khadi kurta-pyjama in both silk and cotton. “I have made clothes for leaders such as Girinath Singh, Amulya Sardar, Babulal Marandi and Chandramohan Prasad. They are my regular customers,” he said. The tailor charges Rs 90 per set and sometimes, gives concessions of Rs 5 or 10. “Since the announcement of state Assembly polls, the turnover has shot up to Rs 2,000 per day. Apart from kurta-pyjama, the leaders also want khadi waistcoats, which come for Rs 550, as winter is a few days away,” Shamim added.

Another tailor, Qurban Ali, who sits at Main Road, said: “I am stitching khadi garments for ministers for the past 10 years. Recently, I made waistcoats for Lalchand Mahato, Madhu Singh and Chandramohan Prasad. They are very happy with my service as I deliver the garments on time,” Ali said.

However, many leaders think that wearing the old, traditional khadi kurta-pyjama may not prove a ticket to success. “I have never worn kurta-pyjama in my life. I prefer jeans and T-shirts,” said Ajsu candidate from Kanke constituency Sudesh Kumar Mahto.

“Khadi has nothing to do with elections. For me, these things are immaterial. The only thing that matters is your work and how you interact with the public,” he added.

BJP leader Arjun Munda disagrees. He said the traditional khadi attire created a good image before the masses. Bandhu Tirkey, who is also contesting the Assembly elections, said he preferred khadi to other materials during election campaigns.

“It is very comfortable. After winning the elections, I am going to stack my wardrobe with khadi clothes,” Tirkey added.

Jainandu, the chairman of Jharkhand State Village Khadi Board, said the sale of khadi clothes had gone up by 15 to 20 per cent because of elections. “We also invite fashion designers from Delhi to make the kurta-pyjamas for leaders according to demand,” he said.