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 17th 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."