Numerous households in the city are grappling with an unforeseen issue as political parties take liberties in affixing stickers to the boundary walls of residences without seeking the owner’s consent.
Santosh Reddy, a resident of Baba Nagar, Mallapur, recently moved into his newly constructed home just two months ago. Despite the squeaky clean appearance of his residence, he expresses deep disappointment at the stickers now adorning his walls and main gate. These stickers feature details about candidates from various political parties. Mr. Reddy says: “I wasn’t even consulted before they did this, and now, attempting to remove the stickers results in the paint peeling off my walls.”
Chandana (name changed), a resident of A.S. Rao Nagar, characterises the situation as a menace in their locality. Recounting her encounter, she shares: “My wall already has four stickers affixed to it. One day, as I stood on my balcony post-breakfast, I observed a group of individuals carrying such stickers, going around plastering them on walls. When I confronted them, they apologised. When they approached my home, I had to intervene to prevent the sticker from being pasted.”
Chandana further notes that party workers are not limiting themselves to just one sticker, on her property alone, multiple stickers from the same party now decorate both the wall and gate. A similar situation exists all around the city.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) in October 2022 issued an order prohibiting such defacement. “In the States where there is no local law on the subject, and subject to the restrictions under the law where there is a law, temporary and easily removable advertisement materials, such as flags and banners, may be put up in private premises with the voluntary permission of the occupant. The permission should be an act of free will and not extracted by any pressure or threat. Such banners or flags should not create any nuisance to others,” says the note which is part of the Model Code of Conduct.
But in the absence of enforcement as hundreds of complaints pour in, citizens across the city have to grin and bear it.
