Delhi Beats

New Delhi: If you’ve been struck by the excess of goodwill from a whole lot of strangers recently, you can safely blame the upcoming elections. As the election season gets underway, there’s a deluge of good wishes beaming down from posters. And though you may have never heard of these ‘‘public servants’’, there’s no escaping the air-brushed faces wishing everyone on Chatt, Guru Granth Purab, Ashtami, Diwali and even the local Bhagwati Jagran. Obviously, this season of festivals is the perfect opportunity for aspiring legislators to make their presence felt.

Claims a party official in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office, ‘‘The ticket seekers are trying every way to be in public view, so that in turn party seniors also take them seriously.’’ Aspirants admit the posters are a way to keep ahead of competitors. ‘‘There are a number of factors behind someone getting a ticket: rapport with party bosses, your standing in the community, the work you’ve done. By putting up the posters and banners, I’m basically ensuring that both party officials and voters recognise my face when it comes time for campaigning,’’ says an aspirant from Kalkaji, whose posters can be seen from every street light pole and along colony boundary walls.

That aspirants are playing it safe can be seen from the long line of festivals that these unknown faces are wishing voters on — long gone festivals like Durga Puja and Ashtami and Dussehra find a mention next to Diwali and Chatt. Even the lowly, colony-level Bhagwati Jagran gets equal mention, as aspirants try to connect with the voter. Glossy pictures, beaming faces right next to shots of party stalwarts is the norm, with the message ranging from a short pithy best wishes to some preferring to save space and just putting up a list of festivals!

Interestingly, most of the posters put up along colony roads and market intersections have faces, which no one seems to recognise. Said Kamlesh Saigal, a housewife in Lajpat Nagar, who had come out for Diwali shopping, ‘‘These posters have come up almost overnight. One day you will see a poster by a former legislator, the next day it’s replaced by another poster.’’ Saigal admits it’s entertaining, especially as no one has a clue who the people behind the faces are. ‘‘Most are absolutely new faces,’’ she adds.

But that doesn’t seem to concern these aspirants much. ‘‘They will know us once we start campaigning,’’ says a legislative hopeful from Lajpat Nagar, whose posters can be seen on light poles, with short snappy messages against the present government. While no one is willing to talk about how much this excess of goodwill is costing them, privately, they admit its a lot. But then, publicity is always welcome, right?

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