Facing a ban on wall graffiti, novelty has become the buzzword for the Communist Party of India (Marxist) ahead of the West Bengal assembly election.
With a blanket ban enforced by the Election Commission on wall writing and putting up posters, banners and festoons, political parties may have lost their traditional ways to reach the people, but the CPI(M) sprang up a surprise by organising mobile campaigns.
Making the best use of a large cadre base, party candidates are moving door-to-door with bands of workers - all wearing white aprons with the party symbol and an appeal for vote printed on them.
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"Wall writing has been banned on the ground of visual pollution and defacement of property but nobody can stop mobile graffitis that our workers are carrying everywhere," a CPI (M) state functionary said.
He pointed out that in a country like India, political parties could not reach the entire electorate through television and radio, and this mobile campaign was the best option in the absence of wall writing and posters. Former CPI(M) state secretary Anil Biswas, who died recently, had directed the party units to take to the novel way to reach out to as many people as possible.
The party, having fielded 108 new candidates, claims that the workers have already reached out to most of the people at booth level.
In Belgachia East Constituency, where Transport Minister Subhas Chakraborty is seeking re-election, a large number of people ranging from auto drivers to rickshaw pullers can be seen moving around in white T-shirts with appeals in favour of the candidate.
Moreover, one can also see people carrying colourful umbrellas with the party symbol and a vote for appeal on them.
However, the issue has evoked resentment among the opposition Congress and the Trinamool Congress, who have alleged that the CPI (M) was gratifying the people by distributing T-shirts and umbrellas.
While the CPI (M) claimed that all the campaigners were party workers, Chief Electoral Officer Debashis Sen said distribution of articles was an offence, but that had to be proved.
In some districts, Left Front nominees have shown more communicative skill by sending greeting cards for the Bengali new year, which begins two-days ahead of the first phase of polling, to all the voters.
Of course, the cards not only have the greetings but they also carry the party's appeal and a brief biography of the candidates.
