The High Court direction against the display of flex boards in public places has wrong-footed political parties with Lok Sabha elections round the corner.
Traditionally, campaign materials made of flex have taken the pride of place in public spaces during election times. While political parties say that they are committed to complying with the court directive, they are apprehensive of its effect on their campaigns to reach out to people.
CPI(M) district secretary C.N. Mohanan said the Election Commission has already issued guidelines against campaigning that is harmful to the environment, centred around educational institutions, and those creating difficulties to the public.
“However, preventing display of flex boards in public places amounts to limiting interactions with the public which is at the heart of the democratic process. We are not an advanced country where digital campaigning can be effective. Our conventional election campaigning has been based on public interactions, which are not possible through assembling people in auditoriums or household visits. Campaign materials in public spaces accessed by people have been an effective method to reach out to them,” he said.
District Congress Committee president T.J. Vinod said the Congress was committed to complying with the court direction by shifting to eco-friendly campaigning mode. “We had used cloth-based campaign materials even during the recent visit of AICC president Rahul Gandhi and KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran’s rally. We will approach agencies dealing in eco-friendly promotional materials for campaigning during the forthcoming election,” he said.
BJP district president N.K. Mohandas said the party would try to find private properties for displaying flex boards. “While political parties will have to comply with the court direction, it will definitely pose them a challenge during the election period. The restrictions should be applicable to all, and the ruling party should not be given preferential treatment and allowed to get away with violations,” he said.