Election Fever Fuels Surge in Political-Themed Merchandise for Tamil Nadu Businesses
As the poll season intensifies across Tamil Nadu, small businesses are seizing the opportunity to ride the political wave. From custom cakes to embroidered apparel, symbols, colors, and themes of prominent political parties are becoming popular consumer items, creating a unique economic ripple effect.
Home Bakers Craft Political Confectionery
K S Indu Vikasini, a home baker based in Coimbatore, recently created a three-tier, 5kg cake for AIADMK candidate S P Velumani, who is contesting from the Thondamuthur constituency. "It was my first customized cake for a political party," she explained. "Velumani cut the cake during his campaign. I carefully selected the flag colors and the party symbol to match." After sharing a video of the creation online, she received numerous inquiries from cadres of various political parties, highlighting the growing demand for such specialized products.
Apparel Industry Sees Spike in Political Orders
The demand for printed and embroidered t-shirts has also skyrocketed. K Subha, a tailor with nearly a decade of experience in embroidery, reported receiving as many as 200 orders from party cadres. "Party logos are etched on shirts, and sometimes even on towels," she noted. Meanwhile, R Hari, a newcomer in the garment business specializing in custom printing, revealed that his orders primarily come from Chennai and Salem. "Several loyalists who are not officially engaged with political parties place individual orders for printed tees featuring logos like DMK or TVK," he said. Printed tees typically cost upwards of 599 rupees, while machine-embroidered variants start at 200 rupees.
Social Media Success and Business Growth
For some entrepreneurs, the election has provided a much-needed boost in visibility. Madhumathi M, who runs a bridal boutique and tailoring unit in Velachery, designed a TVK-themed blouse using intricate aari work. "When we posted the video online, it racked up more than 3 million views in just two weeks," she shared. "Earlier, we were struggling for traction on social media. Now we receive at least 10 orders for our apparel every day." However, due to the ongoing wedding season, she noted limitations in delivering more TVK-themed blouses, as the process is labor-intensive.
Political Engagement and Economic Impact
Karthik Kuppan, zonal head of AIADMK's Kancheepuram IT wing, emphasized the positive economic impact of the election. "When we go campaigning, there's cake cutting, garlanding, and bursting of crackers," he said. "People get engaged by sporting party tees and supporting small businesses. The more people participate, the better." Home bakers Subanidhi and Sandhya, who created custom cakes for Chief Minister M K Stalin and BJP's Vanathi Srinivasan, added that hyper-personalization is key to engaging and attracting new prospects.
Cautious Optimism Among Some Entrepreneurs
Despite the boom, some business owners remain cautious. N Suman, a home baker from Madurai, expressed concerns about potential negative effects on customer relations. "If I get repeat orders from the same party, I would not post it online," he stated. "My priority is to retain customers and appeal to a broad audience." This highlights the delicate balance businesses must strike between capitalizing on political trends and maintaining neutrality.
The election season in Tamil Nadu has thus transformed into a significant economic driver for small businesses, blending political enthusiasm with entrepreneurial innovation to create a vibrant marketplace for themed merchandise.
