Ludhiana: Even before the election schedule is announced, the political battle for visibility has spilled onto Ludhiana’s walls, shops, bridges and vacant plots, with posters and banners of candidates and ticket aspirants increasingly dotting the city.With political parties stepping up preparations and AAP already announcing its second list of candidates, residents fear the poster blitz will intensify in the coming days, leaving public as well as private properties defaced.Residents said posters pasted without permission were not only an eyesore but also raised questions about civic responsibility among those seeking public office. They said candidates and political aspirants should explore cleaner ways of reaching voters, including social media, public meetings and door-to-door campaigns, instead of plastering the city with publicity material.Manoj Gupta, a resident of Chander Nagar, said posters could be seen on walls of houses and shops as well as vacant plots. He claimed even newly installed shields on bridges over Buddha Dariya had not been spared.“Every election season, residents face this nuisance. The authorities should find a permanent solution. Those seeking to represent the public should not be allowed to deface public and private property for publicity,” he said.Gurmeet Singh, a Pakhowal Road resident, said political parties and aspirants routinely put up posters ahead of elections. Though municipal corporation teams removed these and issued notices, the lack of stringent action meant the problem returned every election season, he claimed.An MC official, requesting anonymity, said civic body teams were removing posters wherever they spotted them. The official said enforcement would become easier once the election process was formally announced and authorities had a clearer mandate to act against violations.At present, MC teams sometimes face arguments with political workers while removing posters, the official added.
