As the curtains come down on election campaigning in the city, it will be back to regular work for many.
All those who had taken a break from their regular jobs to be a part of the poll season will now go back to their means of bread and butter.
K. Murali, a tempo driver, had been driving an election campaign vehicle over the past 15 days. “Usually, I transport goods in a tempo and earn around Rs. 200 per day. Driving the campaign vehicle in and around north Chennai, I earned Rs. 400 a day,” said the Tondiarpet resident.
The campaign work fetched him more money, he said, and that too, for fewer number of trips. “The vehicle was fitted with a public address (P.A.) system. I just had to press a button and it played songs and speeches,” he said.
Like him, M. Ashok, who puts up decorations for temple festivals and marriages, had a different task at hand, this election season.
“Since campaigning began, I, along with my team, had been erecting flag poles on roads where political meetings and rallies were being held. Business was as usual because these poles were hired on an hourly basis at Rs. 15 per pole,” he said. But, at least 200 poles had been stolen in the past month alone, he said.
K. Karthik, an auto driver, stopped ferrying passengers and immersed himself in campaigning. “I installed a PA system in my vehicle and went around various areas. I spent about Rs. 3,000,” he said.
That he had to forego his daily income does not worry him. “It is alright. Elections are special, and I did not want to miss an opportunity to be a part of it,” he said.
