 "Demonetisation,blockade hit traders dealing with poll material in Manipur")
"Every time during the elections, we bring in lot of raw materials for making poll materials but this time we could not do it firstly due to the blockade and secondly due to demonetisation we were short of cash initially so we could not buy poll materials," a trader dealing with poll material said in Imphal.
"Not only political parties wait for the poll season, but also traders dealing with campaign material eagerly wait for elections as its a boom time for them.
But demonetisation and dearth of raw materials due to the ongoing economic blockade have affected the traders who are in the business of campaign materials", a trader said.
Campaign materials like posters, flex, paper posters, flags, printed with party symbols have been top draws among the parties during the previous elections but this time both the orders and the delivery have been badly hit due to demonetisation and blockade.
With the scrapping of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes due to demonetisation, traders who faced shortage of new notes subsequently could not pay wages to the labourers who made those materails.
"The blockade started from November 1 but after the effect of demonetisation became quite normal in January, we could not get the raw materials due to the blockade," Melam, a trader, said.
Cutting across political lines, parties have also squeezed poll spending in this election following economic blockade and strict supervision of Election Commission.
You’ve reached your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
SAVE 25%
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Subscribe
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Exclusive premium stories online
Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors
Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share
Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor
Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements
Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app
SAVE 25%