Sivakasi printers make a killing in Kerala almost every poll

The RPA does not say posters and pamphlets should be printed within the State where poll is held.

October 13, 2015 12:00 am | Updated 08:08 am IST - THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:

Illustration for TH

Illustration for TH

With the combatants now about to be firmed this poll, men from the printing units of Sivakasi are back, to woo candidates and political parties.

There are some 6,000 small, medium, and large printing units in the State that are geared to print the multi-coloured posters and pamphlets — bare essentials of any election, including about 1,275 units in Ernakulam and 1,100 in Thiruvananthapuram. Except for particularly huge bulk orders, they can mostly match the rates of their Sivakasi rivals as well.

So how come the Sivakasi printers make a killing in Kerala almost every poll?

Exploiting a loophole

It may have to do with a loophole in the Representation of People Act, 1951 (RPA), say local printers. The RPA does not say posters and pamphlets should be printed within the State where the poll is held, according to Y. Vijayan, general secretary, Kerala Printers Association (KPA).

If these are printed in Sivakasi, one can evade the mandatory mention of the name of the election committee convener, printer. and telephone number, and number of copies printed. In Sivakasi, not many printing units adhere to filing of the forms, copies of the poster and pamphlets, and the bills, all originally mandated to keep track of election expenses run up by candidates. “The Sivakasi men have begun canvassing in many districts,” says Vijayan.

So the KPA has decided to keep a watch on the State check posts and alert the State Election Commission and Sales Tax officials if posters from Sivakasi are trucked in. Sales Tax check posts are supposed to levy fvie per cent tax on them.

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