Delhi election battle leaves many a mark on its walls

While nearly 10 million people exercised their franchise on Wednesday, sealing the electoral fate of 698 candidates, the streets and walls of Delhi now bear the aftermath of a fierce electoral battle.

- Paras Singh

NEW DELHI: The city is littered with the remnants of 1.9 million posters on defaced walls, and a new menace - "digital posters" - that is nearly impossible to peel away.

Civic workers said public spaces, from foot overbridges and subways to street signboards and market squares, have been left in disarray. They now face the daunting task of clearing up this mess before it resurfaces when results are declared on Saturday.

The most persistent issue for hundreds of workers cleaning up the mess are thin-film digital posters, which have proved far more difficult to remove than traditional paper banners.

Resident welfare associations (RWAs) and civic groups argue that the common solution of covering them with paint only worsens the defacement rather than tackling it. Many are calling for a complete ban on such materials.

A Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) official said that zonal teams have been working to clear campaign materials daily since the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into effect.

"We have been removing hoardings, banners, and posters every day, but the sheer volume makes it challenging," the official said.

According to an MCD action-taken report submitted to the Election Commission of India (ECI), 1,882,829 publicity items were removed by February 3, the last day of campaigning. These included 211,895 hoardings, 1,029,942 posters and banners, 82,594 signage boards, and 558,398 flags.