ollowing the allocation of election symbols for the upcoming general elections, Faisalabad is witnessing a surge in electoral enthusiasm.

Candidates are deploying diverse publicity strategies to engage voters and familiarise them with their designated election symbols.

Aminpur Bazaar near Faisalabad’s iconic Clock Tower, a popular shopping hub for wedding and mehndi decorations, is now adorned with flags, symbols, badges and promotional items of various political parties.

Muhammad Arshad, a seasoned professional who sells election-related merchandise, notes that despite the ongoing economic challenges and inflation, the election has given his business a notable boost.

“Supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf have been disappointed over not getting the election symbol they had wanted. This has affected sales,” he says, adding that this time, despite the announcement of the election schedule there was an air of uncertainty. “That’s why business is slow, compared to the past,” he says.

“We started manufacturing flags, badges and mufflers for various political parties in November, keeping in mind the experience of the last election. Now, the customers have started coming in,” he says.

He says inflation and a slowdown in the economy are impacting every business in the bazaar but election might be the turnaround he was hoping for.

“Since the PTI people have been allotted separate election symbols as independent candidates, some of them appear withdrawn. Only the PML-N supporters are buying party flags and badges on a large scale. Supporters of Jamaat-i-Islami, Tehreek-i-Labbaik and Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party are also coming to the market to buy publicity materials,” says Arshad.

Arshad says he has prepared and stocked thousands of PTI flags with Imran Khan’s picture and the bat symbol, but there is no buyer for those in the market currently.

Javed Mubarak, who has travelled from Sukkur, highlights the significant demand for election-related materials, citing an order of 10,000 flags, 5,000 banners, 5,000 badges and 10,000 shirts and caps.

Mubarak says it is cost-effective to procure goods from Faisalabad. “It costs less to buy publicity material related to elections here. I got all the goods at a reasonable rate. I might return next week to buy some more things,” he says. “If I had the same goods prepared in Karachi, it would have been more expensive.”

Mubarak says that PPP flags and other publicity materials are selling the most in Sukkur, followed by JUI and GDA-related merchandise.

Mubarak says that for people involved in the business of producing and selling publicity material, the coming of an election is like Eid which comes after five years but can cover the expenses of the next five years.

In the printing business hub, the Press Market adjacent to Aminpur Bazaar, Muhammad Ali of Subhan Printing Press discusses the challenges posed by the rising costs of paper and printing materials. Despite the elections approaching, the printing of posters and pamphlets is not as swift as had been expected.

“Since the introduction of flex printing, the trend of producing posters or pamphlets has declined,” he says.

“Due to restrictions on imports, paper has become very expensive; the cost of printing chemicals and electricity is also increasing by the day. Printing on paper is no longer as affordable as it used to be in the past,” says Muhammad Ali.

According to him, the candidates participating in the election keep printing a small number of banners and posters with flex machines according to their needs. An order for at least 5,000 posters would be necessary to print a four-colour design in a printing press.

“But things aren’t bad. The candidates have started booking orders for the printing of posters. I’m hoping we’ll have more work as the election inches closer,” he says.

Nestled a short distance from Aminpur Bazaar, the market adjacent to Eidgah Road and Malik Road is a bustling hub for digital printing and advertising firms. This market is abuzz with the branding of political parties’ billboards, hoarding boards, streamers and vehicles. There is a significant surge in business activity.

Mian Bilal, the owner of Shine Digital Flex, says, “Due to the cold weather and less time for campaigning, the election publicity work has been affected. “

“One of the political parties is already out of the race. Their candidates are changing tactics. There is no competition any longer, So not many candidates are spending much money on advertising,” he says.

“In the 2018 and 2013 elections, the close competition between Pakistan Muslim League-N and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf was also visible in the advertising. It was a lot more busier back then,” he says.

“The PTI people are focused on digital media. They are doing their election campaign by creating WhatsApp groups,” he says.

“Because the elections were coming, many people had invested in purchasing new machinery and raw materials, but this time their expectations have not been met,” says Bilal.

However, he says that the market has improved somewhat due to the election and many people have returned to their jobs.

Lay citizens say that, regardless of political factors, the extreme cold, inflation and economic conditions have dampened the excitement usually associated with elections.

Altaf Hussain from Tech Town recalls a time when political workers actively participated in promoting their parties. He says the current trend is for the candidates to bear most of the publicity expenses.

“People used to buy party flags and election symbols at their own expense and display those on the roofs of homes. There were lights at night and party flags were painted on the walls of some houses. Slogans were written, election offices were established in the streets and political gatherings were organized. Now the workers want the candidate to pay all the publicity expenses,“ he notes.

According to Hussain, political parties now prefer financially stable candidates so that they can spend freely in the election campaign.

“Nowadays politics revolves around money. Ordinary voters’ commitment to political parties is limited to voting. The cold weather is also making people reluctant to attend corner meetings and rallies,” he says.

“In the past, before the election campaign started in earnest, wall painters were in great demand. The candidates used to book their services for several months by paying in advance for writing banners and chalking walls. Now this method of publicity is limited to rural areas,” he says.

As Faisalabad approaches elections, the dynamics of political engagement and public participation are shifting. There are new challenges and new opportunities.

The writer has been associated with journalism for the past decade. He tweets @ naeemahmad876