Published On : Sun, Sep 21st, 2014

Sunday Special : City shopping to rocket new high as Diwali coincides poll parade

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diwali_shopping_nagpurNagpur: This October, Nagpur will witness a great shopping tsunami ahead of Diwali. And the reason behind the projected boom is but obvious – the assembly elections are also coinciding with the festival.

Various trade organizations have put this year’s festive business thrice the normal purchase, thanks to the freebies the poll candidates are expected to offer in a bid to secure their Poll positions. Perhaps this is for the first time in near history that assembly polls are crossing path with the festive occasion. The city will go to the polls around the same period when voters are busy in their Diwali shopping.

Ideal gifting occasion!

While the polling for all 288 assembly seats including 6 of Nagpur will take place on October 15 and the results coming on October 19, there will be very little margin for the candidates to come out and campaign, given the major parties like BJP and Congress have not yet announced their picks. Diwali will be celebrated across the country on October 23. This makes a perfect occasion for all the candidates to adjust their campaign in limited time with multiple festive gifting options, sources said.

Trade to benefit

A member of city’s renowned trade organization on condition of anonymity told Nagpur Today that the election candidates will be trying to woo the voters by delivering goodies in the form of Diwali gifts. “Be it electronics like TV, Refrigerator, Mobiles or Laptops or the gift hampers carrying other goodies, the ultimate benefactor will be the trade. While people will be receiving more, they will end up buying more as Diwali is synonymous to splurge. Following the sops, this year the urge to buy will be on the surge,” he added.

Cash or kind… Never mind!

Poll experts feel that this year the candidates will have the safer option of handing out the gifts rather than money in order to avoid the prying eyes of election officials. Diwali is falling little earlier this year. The festivities will add up to the poll campaign and the celebration will make way for the politicians to have their way by passing on to their potential voters.

Tough task for poll officers

Poll pundits refer to the situation in which the electoral officers are expected to fall, where in, it would be too difficult for them to keep a tab on the flow of funds. “Diwali and Dhan Teras are such occasions when gifts in all the forms are prevalent and prospective poll fighters will definitely take advantage of the hour. While keeping close vigil will check the unfair means to some extent, keeping such activities completely out of scene will be a herculean task. For now it sounds impossible to apply full stop on gifts and offerings, given the big festival is also around,” quipped an officer who wish not be named.

Traders look forward to compensate last season

During last Diwali the business prospects though appeared promising, did not deliver desired fruits in terms of quantum of sale. The traders have for this reason not taken any chance this time. Instead of waiting for the eleventh hour boom, many shopping destinations in the city have started creating a festive atmosphere by offering Diwali discounts, much before the actual buying will pick up. The advertisements occupying the newspaper space run with Diwali captions to arouse buying mood among the citizens. “We too are expecting the big surge this year as we have to make up for the losses or break even many from our fraternity faced during previous Diwali session. So polls or no polls we have to anyway manage profit this year. Its like do or die for us,” a mall owner told Nagpur Today when quizzed in this regard.

Nagpur Today View – Do not vote those who buy your vote

Diwali, as the legends have it, is meant to take our body, mind and soul out of darkness of evil and leads all towards the light of all the good things in life. This year, the festival of light and prosperity is coinciding with the festival of democracy in which we will have the chance to choose between our prosperity and irony. So do not let short term gains rule over your decision to choose long term prosperity for us and rest of our fellow citizens. Nagpur Today appeals to all its dedicated readers not to fall prey to the tricks and tactics of such candidates who try to lure you into gifts in exchange of your vote. Rest assured that the one who is buying your vote would not think twice while filling his pockets at the cost of your share of development. So the decision is your’s …