Rahul M.

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The street
with shops selling rexine products in Anantapur usually offers more insights
into the politics of Andhra Pradesh than many newsroom pundits. Unlike several
public intellectuals of Anantapur who were surprised to see Jaganmohan Reddy
sweep the last election, the rexine shop area had seen what was coming. “We
started stitching more and more YSR Congress Party (motorbike) saddle bags a few
months before the polls” says D. Narayanaswamy, owner of one of the rexine
shops here.

The saddlebag
circuit had correctly read the writing on the wheel. The huge demand for YSR Congress
Party bags foretold the result of the 2019 assembly polls here.In the 1990s,
these shops used to mainly stitch cheap, sturdy schoolbags. I had bought a couple
of them myself. By the next decade, shoe shops were more popular places to buy
schoolbags. And rexine shops began selling motorbike saddlebags with pictures
of film stars and politicians, alongside their staple seat covers, including
for autorickshaws and sofas, and car covers as well. The sales of political
designer bags probably peaked in the run up to the 2019 elections. “We
might stay hungry, but we will still go around with our party flags. We must
go. We don’t have a choice,” a Telugu Desam Party voter who reaped benefits under
the earlier regime told me in 2019. I remember seeing a TDP saddlebag on the
bike he was riding.

As the pandemic raged, people seemingly lost interest in
wearing their politics (and politicians) on their bikes. Earlier, the rexine shopfronts usually showed
off saddlebags with political messages and faces. Now they display bags decorated
with generic designs, or with the logos of well-known companies. This
could be part of the general phenomenon of lower demand for many products given
the employment and financial hit people have taken in this period.  

The increased
police presence in public since the lockdowns began might be another reason for
people playing down their affiliations. “When the police catch you on your bike
for something and if you belong to a different party [than that of the cop’s],
you might get into trouble,” Narayanaswamy explains.

In Anantapur: tales told by saddlebags

અનંતપુરમાં બાઇક પર લટકેલા થેલા ને ચૂંટણીનો મિજાજ 

ਅਨੰਤਪੁਰ ਦੇ ਕਾਠੀ-ਬੈਗਾਂ ਦਾ ਵਿਲੱਖਣ ਖ਼ਾਸਾ

অনন্তপুৰত বাহনৰ মোনাত ৰাজনীতিৰ বতৰা

ಅನಂತಪುರ: ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಕತೆಗಳನ್ನು ಹೇಳುವ ಬೈಕ್‌ ಕ್ಯಾರಿಯರ್‌ ಬ್ಯಾಗ್‌ಗಳು

ଅନନ୍ତପୁରରେ: ସାଡଲବ୍ୟାଗ୍‍ କରୁଛି ଭବିଷ୍ୟବାଣୀ

சேணப்பைகள் சொல்லும் கதைகள்

চলমান কিস্‌সায় ভরা অনন্তপুরের ঝুলি

اننت پور: سیاسی ہوا کا رخ بتانے والے بیگ

അനന്തപുരിലെ വാഹനസഞ്ചികൾ പറഞ്ഞ കഥകൾ

अनंतपुर: बाइक पर टंगे बैग बताते हैं सियासी हवा का रुख़

అనంతపురంలో: బైక్ బ్యాగులు చెప్పిన కథలు

Anantapur

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In Anantapur: tales told by saddlebags

The sale of rexine motorbike saddlebags in this Andhra Pradesh town can be a fine predictor of poll results

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