Election symbols for the 13th National Parliamentary Election are being allocated on Wednesday, January 21, while formal election campaigning is set to begin tomorrow. This time, the Election Commission’s (EC) ban on posters has brought their use to a complete halt. As a result, candidates are moving away from poster-based campaigning and turning instead to leaflets, festoons, and banners. The surge in demand for these materials has pushed printing presses in the capital into overdrive, with round-the-clock production of campaign items now underway. The picture, however, is markedly different outside Dhaka. In previous parliamentary elections, poster printing generated brisk business for printing presses in various regions. This time, the ban on posters and the fact that many candidates are opting to print leaflets and festoons in Dhaka due to low costs have left presses outside the capital comparatively idle.

According to the EC schedule, the referendum and the 13th National Parliamentary Election will be held on February 12. Ahead of the polls, scrutiny of nomination papers and appeal hearings have already been completed. Symbols will be allotted today, and the election campaign will begin tomorrow.

Printing presses in Dhaka are spending a busy period centred on the campaign season, with many struggling to keep pace with demand. At the same time, a number of business owners have expressed frustration at being deprived of expected profits due to the ban on posters in the upcoming election. A visit to printing hubs in Motijheel, Nayapaltan, Purana Paltan, Fakirapool, Sutrapur, Gandaria, Jatrabari, and Nilkhet showed intensive production of election billboards, festoons, and leaflets at various establishments. Festoons and billboards are being produced at modern digital presses, while leaflet printing is largely handled by traditional presses. In many cases, however, businesses are operating using a combination of modern and conventional methods.

At Rose Press and Printers in Fakirapool, traditional machines were seen producing election leaflets, while modern equipment nearby was engaged in other printing work. Employees were more active in leaflet production. Proprietor Abdul Malek told Bonik Barta, “Business is not bad at all. We usually receive a large volume of orders in November and December, which are delivered by mid-January. Now we are working on election leaflets, and orders for Ramadan and Eid have also started coming in. Overall, business is going well.”

Asked whether the poster ban had negatively affected his business, he said, “Our business isn’t centred solely on elections. Profits may be higher during elections, but we don’t depend on that alone. There is strong demand for leaflets instead of posters, so I don’t see any major negative impact.”

At Aka Printers in Pepsi Lane, Fakirapool, digital paper for billboards and festoons was being produced. Using modern automated digital machines, black-and-white election billboards and festoon sheets were being printed. Proprietor Kallol Chowdhury said, “Demand for digital paper is much higher than for regular paper now. Billboards and festoons cannot be made with ordinary paper, so candidates are opting for digital paper because it is more durable.”

Although Gausul Azam Market near New Market Police Station is usually closed on Tuesdays, some shops were forced to open to deliver orders. Even so, most had no more than one employee present. Ali Ashraf Gazi, proprietor of Hosne Ara Printing and Press, told Bonik Barta, “We worked until dawn to get orders ready and opened the shop in the afternoon to deliver them. This time, demand is only for election leaflets. The most popular size is 8.5 inches by 5.5 inches, though we are also producing larger and smaller leaflets as required.”

Festoons for the election campaign of Dr. Manisha Chakraborty, Bangladesh Socialist Party (BaSaD) candidate in Barisal-5, have been ordered from Gausul Azam Market. Raihan Uddin, a member of the candidate’s election wing, told Bonik Barta yesterday, “In line with the central decision, we are producing festoons and leaflets in Dhaka and taking them to Barisal, as costs here are much lower than in Barisal. According to demand, the festoons were supposed to be handed over on Monday, but they couldn’t manage it. That is why we came to collect them on Tuesday, despite the market being closed.”

While printing presses in the capital are experiencing intense pressure, the situation outside Dhaka is entirely different. Demand at printing presses in various parts of the country remains very low. Similar scenes are being observed in Barisal, Rangpur, Jashore, and other districts.

In Rangpur, activity in the printing industry is minimal. With posters banned, operations are limited mainly to handbill printing. Local owners and workers say that in previous parliamentary elections, poster printing generated substantial income. That is no longer the case this time. Shah Bayezid, proprietor of Rangpur Press, said, “At times we struggle to pay workers’ wages. In every election, poster printing helps make up that shortfall for printing presses. But this time, that opportunity is gone.”

There are 73 establishments involved in the printing industry in Jashore. After limited business in the last three elections, printers had hoped the 13th parliamentary election would revive their fortunes. However, the ban on posters has left industry stakeholders disappointed. They claim that those involved in Jashore’s printing sector could face losses of around BDT 30 million due to the restriction. Abu Ishaq Babu, joint secretary of the district printing industry association, said, “After five years, we look to the national election with hope. But the ban on poster printing has caused us financial losses, because the business we earn around elections sustains us for the period that follows.”

Shahinshah Rana, general secretary of the Jashore District Printing Industry Association, said there are 73 licensed presses in the district, employing at least 400 people. The ban on putting up posters in this election has created frustration among them, as parliamentary elections typically generate the highest demand for posters and banners.

A similar picture has emerged in Barisal’s printing sector. Sultan Talukder, owner of New Art Press on Sadar Road in Barisal city, said, “Expecting work ahead of the election, I had purchased extra paper in advance. But with poster printing banned, that paper has now become a major concern. Previously, on the eve of elections, the press area would be bustling with candidates and supporters. Now there is only silence.”

Mohammad Hemayet Hossain, proprietor of Azmir Printers on Fakirbari Road in the city, said there is currently no significant work in hand. “Even orders for election leaflets are not coming in. I hear that most candidates are getting their work done in Dhaka. So now we are having to rely on small, occasional orders,” he added.