Posters stay out of Mahe

MAHE: Banners, posters and hoardings are indispensable in an  election. But in Mahe, part of the Union Territory of Puducherry, you will not see a single poster pasted on any buildings or hoardings put up at  busy junctions by any political parties.   Puducherry has a unique law, ‘The Pondicherry Open Places Act 2000,’ which prevents people from defacing open spaces by writing or any material.

Mahe Regional Administrator S. Manicka Deepan said that all political parties were co-operating with the restrictions. “Election commission has given guidelines on the use of campaign materials as part of the model code of conduct and also in keeping with the prevailing laws in the state /UTs. We have strict laws preventing the use of buildings for campaign purpose,” he said.

“In Kerala, the law allows pasting of posters and erecting hoardings with the consent of the respective owners, but in Puducherry there is no provision for that too and the government has also issued a special order ahead of the election,” he added.

Though in Puducherry and other parts of the Union Territory, leniency is shown during normal time when there is no election, the Karaikkal region of the UT strictly follows the law all the time. One cannot find any kind of posters or banners  in the region which is 130 km from Puducherry.