The campaign heat for the Lok Sabha election in urban areas in Ghaziabad is yet to pick up with hardly any banner or hoarding visible in places like Vaishali, Indirapuram and Kaushambi which have also not witnessed any political rally by a major leader so far.
While there are many guidelines by Election Commission restraining expensive campaigns, the absence of posters and other traditional outdoor advertising materials, barely 13 days ahead of the April 10 poll is baffling the locals.
When asked why banners or hoardings could not be seen, a shop-owner at Vaishali said, "I don't know why it is so this time. The whole pattern of campaigning has changed. It may be that candidates think that TV is the best medium."
Ceiling of election expenses, Rs 70 lakh for a candidate in case of Ghaziabad, has also played a deterrent to the use of such publicity materials this time.
The EC has deployed observers to monitor election-related expenditure by candidates to ensure a level-playing field and limit the money power in the poll process.
City Advertising, which claims to be the largest supplier of outdoor advertising materials during election time in the constituency, said individual candidates' apathy to spend on such medium is perhaps the primary reason.
"During last assembly election, I did a business of Rs 30-35 lakh by printing outdoor advertising materials in all five seats here. This time, I am yet to get orders worth Rs 2,000," said company director Nitin Srivastava.
The constituency, bordering Delhi, constitute of five assembly seats - Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Loni, Muradnagar and Dholana.
Raj Babbar (Congress), General VK Singh (BJP), Shazia Ilmi Malik (AAP), Mukul Upadhyay (BSP) and Sudhan Rawat (SP) are contesting from the seat.
A vendor in Ghazipur mandi asked, "Have you also seen door-to-door campaigning this time?"
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