The boom in the social media scene has proved to be a no show for private printers in the upcoming elections this year, as preference to use the Internet for publicity by political parties has resulted in a dip of over 20 per cent in printing orders for them. Added to that, the President’s rule and Model Code of Conduct have only added to their woes.
Limit on expenditure“There is a limit on the poll expenditure and also a restriction imposed by the Election Commission on printing of banners by parties. Social media has become an alternative to print and has affected our industry. Orders will be lesser by at least 20 percent this time,” said A. Jagan Mohan Reddy, owner of Karshkak Art Printers, which is situated at Vidyanagar. Sites like Facebook, Twitter and the likes are preferred by politicians since they are interactive in nature as well.
Agreeing with him, J. B. Chenna Reddy, Managing Director of Parthasarthi Art Printers Pvt. Ltd, situated at Chikkadpally, mentioned that this year printers will have to rough it out due to lesser orders to print banners, pamphlets, leaflets and other materials by politicians and their parties. “We started receiving orders since last week and there is a reduction by 15 to 20 per cent compared to the 2009 elections,” he stated.
Mr. Mohan Reddy also added that the overall printing of political material may come down by at least 50 per cent in comparison to the 2009 polls. “The fact is that with strict policing under the Governor’s rule, many are not willing to risk landing in trouble this time. And social network sites like Facebook and Twitter are the perfect alternative, as it costs literally nothing,” explained another owner of a private printing press requesting anonymity.
Cost-effectiveKrishank Manne, spokesperson, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC), also conceded that his party has extensively used social media to reach out to supporters. “It is also a cost-effective and more communicative medium,” he said.
