Balurghat traders stock up on abir for celebrations after poll results
BALURGHAT: It’s a close contest in Balurghat Lok Sabha constituency this time. Abir (colour) traders are ready with the stocks for the celebrations that will follow with the victory. Green and orange abir have been brought in from Kolkata, filling up godowns and are being sold in wholesale.
While many traders are hedging their bets by stocking equal amounts of both colours, others are backing either green or orange depending on their political predictions. Different political parties are synonymous with different colours. While it is green for the TMC and the Indian National Congress, it is orange for the BJP and red for the Left wing parties including the CPI(M).
Subhas Bhawal, Trinamool Congress South Dinajpur District president, exuding confidence, claimed that victory would be theirs, pointing to the surge in demand for green abir.
“Our candidate Biplab Mitra will win from the Balurghat LS seat. The abir traders know it very well and they stock only green abir for Tuesday,” Bhawal stated.
Swarup Chowdhury, BJP district president, insists on an orange wave, anticipating victory in the Balurghat Lok Sabha seat. “In 2919, our candidate Sukanta Majumdar won over 30,000 votes defeating the TMC candidate. He will retain the seat and it is confirmed. In the stock of the Abir traders, there is nothing but only orange abir,” Chowdhury said.
Rupayan Dutta, a prominent Abir trader in Balurghat, is strategising for result day, stocking up on both green and orange abir.“The uncertainty has forced traders to invest more, buying both colours to hedge their bets,” Dutta mentioned. Traders note that while TMC’s past victories have boosted sales of green abir, this election’s tight contest requires them to also stock up on orange. The preferences seem to vary between rural and urban areas, with rural area businessmen favoring orange and city traders banking on green. To minimise risks, some businessmen are pre-booking abir without specifying the colour until the result day, ensuring they’ll have the winning colour in stock. With abir already flying off the shelves and warehouses brimming, Balurghat gears up for an election like no other.
