VELLORE: Flags, festoons, cut-outs, banners and boards would occupy the pavements along the arterial roads and the streets. Loud speakers would never stop blaring. Four wheelers fitted with public address system would be crisscrossing the roads and streets trumpeting the name of the candidate or leaders visiting the place to meet the voters. These scenes were common during general elections.

But, of late, the festive mood is missing as the roads lay bare without flags and festoons, looking desolate. So is the case with the streets.

Thanks to stringent guidelines and restrictions of the Election Commission of India (ECI) and its eagle eyes, political parties and candidates are keeping a low profile as far as electioneering is concerned.

Only the premises party offices and election depots sport party flags, posters and boards.

“Every election would be like a festival in our city. Party leaders and candidates would roam around seeking votes in public places. Enthusiastic party men would compete one another to raise their party flags in those days,” recalls RB Gnanavelu, a trader in Vellore.

Cadre belonging to political parties would even fight for grabbing space to display name of their respective candidates.

But the situation has completely changed now. So much of restrictions have taken the sheen off electioneering.

Rallies and road shows are organised in very few numbers.

Sixty-year-old Gnanavelu says, “Nowadays, the usual euphoria over elections is missing. The people look unenthusiastic.”

The turnout for campaign meetings of top leaders of political parties has also dipped relatively. The organisers find men for hire to fill the chairs arranged at meeting venues to give an impression of a decent crowd in many places.

Candidates are also stated to be satisfied with the low key public campaign. Instead of approaching the voters by visiting them in their places, they use social media to connect with them.

They are believed to be depending upon aggressive campaign in the last three days before closure of electioneering.