Campaign on wheels: Vehicles being decked out for candidates

Ranchi: Autos and small trucks decked out with loudspeakers appealing for votes and winding through busy streets, play an important role in elections. Campaigns for the Lok Sabha election in the state is on in full swing and a section of traders is busy giving an election-touch to these vehicles before the D-day arrives. Faces of leaders, candidates, party slogans and achievements are being painted on flex which will be displayed on these vehicles.
“We have received orders from a specific political party to fabricate around one dozen small autos ahead of the election. We use waterproof flex with vinyl print. The designs are provided by the party itself, while the rest of the work is to be done by us,” said Md Kalam of Karbala Chowk-based Yas Enterprises. Almost a dozen printers line the alley to the Chowk, mostly working on posters and banners, but Kalam has the unique job of decorating the vehicles that will serve as the voice of the candidates.

Working on a couple of small vehicles near St John’s School, Kalam’s team has its plan ready. He added, “I generally engage four people on one vehicle. The frames have to be measured and then fixed on the vehicle. Each small vehicle involves around 6-8 hours of work. All the material used is waterproof.”

From ‘Apna Subodh Kant’ to faces of Grand Alliance, including that of Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Shibu Soren and even Tejashwi Yadav, these vehicles are ready to spread the word.

“The orders generally come in after the nominations are finalised. We provide vehicle fabrication services but this year, no orders have been finalized yet. There is still a lot of time left though,” said Sujeet Kumar of Tharpakhna-based Speed Media.

While smaller vehicles are yet to catch the imagination of many candidates, including Independents, BJP is depending on its huge ‘LED Raths’ touring all the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies to make a mark.

“We will not be using small vehicles this Lok Sabha election but instead rely completely on LED vans. They are currently playing videos and infographics on Narendra Modi’s work. We will use them for videos of individual candidates too once the nominations are finalized,” said Sanjay Jaiswal, BJP media spokesperson.

EOM