Polls override festive mood in Tamil Nadu

The month of October is fun and frolic
not only for people of Tamil Nadu, but also for the IT dealers.
Amidst the series of festivals like Ayudha Poojai, Vijayadasami and
Diwali, the Tamil Nadu local body polls are also going to be held on
17^th and 19th later this month. The partners across the
state expect a boost in the sales during the festive season. “It is
a bitter fact that the sales are very dull in this season.Though the
sale was good during Vijayadasami, the usual festive look is missing
this year,” said D Armstrong, a Pudukottai based dealer. He further
added that the local body polls have made an impact on the IT trade.
“Being an election for the posts of ward councilors, and panchayat
presidents, many party-backed candidates and individuals get
opportunities to contest. When one candidate is contesting, all his
relatives and friends are also involved in election-related duties
and they do not have time to discuss on buying a
new computer,” said Armstrong.

However, R Rajnikanth, a Coimbatore
based dealer contradicts with Armstrong. “Of course, the sale is
not as much expected. But I do not fi nd any link between the polls
and buying behavior. But we expect the sales to increase during the
last 2 weeks of October,” said Rajnikanth.

NO ROOM FOR MARKETING ACTIVITIES

Many partners feel that they fi nd hard
to market their brands since the mainstream media has been reserved
by the election candidates. Be it a newspaper or a local television
channel, the full page advertisement of the promises made by the
candidates fi ll the pages and the content on TV. “The Diwali sale
is always a much awaited moment. However, unlike the past, because of
the polls and festival season, there is a huge impact on sales,”
concluded Rajnikanth.

IMPACT IN PUDUCHERRY

AW Samsudeen, a Karaikal based dealer
said, “The usual festival look is missing this year. Generally,
festive season begins a month before Diwali. However, this year, few
days are left for the festival, but we are not seeing the usual zeal
of the customers. We have to wait and watch.”