NaMo merchandise a big draw at BJP office in Lucknow

The poll season is well and truly on. The NaMo merchandise shop at the BJP office in Hazratganj here is doing brisk business, drawing customers of various age groups.

Take the case of Abhiraj Mishra, 12. Despite being six years short of the voting age, he says he is a Narendra Modi supporter. With exam pressure off his back now, Abhiraj visited the party office on Tuesday with his neighbour Shambhunath Trivedi, 21, to purchase NaMo merchandise. This is the boy’s second visit to the BJP office with Shambhunath and both have purchased NaMo T-shirts and other articles.

“So what if I am unable to vote? I like Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In whatever way I can, I will campaign for PM Modi in this election,” says Abhiraj, who like Shambhunath is a resident of Lalkuan locality near Charbagh. The class 6 student has already gifted NaMo pens, two NaMo T-shirts and wrist bands to people in his locality.

After a relative gifted Modi’s book ‘Exam Warrior’ to Abhiraj before exams last month, the class 6 student wanted to visit NaMo merchandise shop at the BJP office.

“The book was a stress buster for me during exams. I have suggested it to my friends,” Abhiraj says.

For Shambhunath, this will be the first Lok Sabha election. He had cast his vote for the first time in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly election.

“I had voted for PM Narendra Modi in 2017 assembly election, not for any other person,” says Shambhunath, who is pursing graduation in Sanskrit from a Vedic Sanskrit institution in the state capital that is affiliated to the Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, Varanasi.

“I am a NaMo supporter and will campaign for the BJP to ensure Narendra Modi again becomes prime minister,” h e adds.

Shambhunath has purchased NaMo T-shirt, pens and even a NaMo note book from the merchandise shop.

With other customers also visiting the store, Anand Pratap Singh, who runs the NaMo merchandise shop at the BJP office, is a busy man.

Pradeep Kumar, 41, resident of Gomti Nagar, arrives at the shop with his friend Sunil Tripathi to buy Modi masks for his children. Teenagers have a special liking for these plastic masks costing Rs 275.

“The mask is costly. But my 10-year old son is adamant on wearing it,” says Kumar.

“Sales have picked up after the Election Commission of India announced poll dates. The shop is open from 10am to 6pm,” says Anand Pratap Singh.

“All articles in the shop are purchased through NaMo merchandise application,” says Singh, whose shop is just like any other upmarket commercial store.

Singh stocks T-shirts (blue full sleeves and orange half sleeves) pens, notebooks, stickers and magnetic stickers, caps, face masks and Exam Warrior, a book written by PM Modi for students taking examinations.

The book deals with exam phobia and offers advice to students to take it easy and not allow stress to get the better of them.

“This book (Exam Warrior) is much sought after by parents for their children. The font and style of writing supplemented with pictures have made the book an interesting read,” says Singh.

FROM SHOP TO SANKALP PATRA

From the sale of NaMo Merchandise to the just concluded ‘Bharat Ke Mann Ki Baat Modi Ke Saath’ campaign, the BJP is going into the Lok Sabha poll full steam.

While almost all articles available at the NaMo merchandise shop are much in demand, two other shops at the party office selling traditional campaign material wear a deserted look.

“The BJP has sought suggestions directly from people to prepare its sankalp patra or the election manifesto for the 2019 polls,” says Santosh Singh, state secretary, BJP, and state coordinator of the event.

Santosh Singh is also former president and general secretary of the Lucknow University Students’ Union.

“In this campaign, 80 vans fanned out across the state and 403 suggestion boxes were kept in all districts. We received thousands of suggestions from students, farmers, housewives and even elderly people,” Singh says.

All of them have been forwarded to the party high command in New Delhi, he adds.

“A large number of suggestions are similar. The important ones will be incorporated in the party’s manifesto for the Lok Sabha poll,” says Santosh Singh.

First Published: Mar 15, 2019 09:16 IST