NA-122 by-poll : Eateries welcome polling-day boom

LAHORE:

Traffic jams caused by the by-election in NA-122 proved a blessing for Abdur Rehman, who runs a dhaba near Allama Iqbal Road in Gari Shahu.

“Normally Sundays are dull days for business as most people stay at home. Today, however, I earned thrice the amount I make on an average Sunday,” he told The Express Tribune.

His dhaba had been strategically set up between election offices of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN). It was a few yards from Government Sheikh Sardar Muhammad Girls Higher Secondary School, the polling station where PML-N candidate Ayaz Sadiq cast his vote.

Though shops and main markets were closed on Allama Iqbal Road, business thrived at eateries and cold drink corners. Scores of voters, activists and media personnel were seen making a beeline for cold drink corners throughout the day.

“I like elections. They bring good business,” said Muhammad Azam, who had set up a juice shop near the polling station.

“The last three weeks have been very good for me. Sales peaked during evenings when party workers came out to rally,” he said. He said his sales had quadrupled on the polling day. “It’s hot and a lot of people visited me for cold drinks,” he said.

“I cannot count how many cups of tea I sold today,” said Muhammad Bota, a tea-stall owner in Samanabad.

Corn sellers in Ichhra and Shah Jamal also reported good sales. Some vendors sold memorabilia near party booths. “I am selling PTI caps. I normally go to PTI’s processions to sell these caps. Today I came to NA-122 area because supporters are likely to buy these before or after they cast vote.” “Sales soared today,” said Manzoor Ahmed, a stickers-seller in Gari Shahu. “I also enjoyed the energy and enthusiasm of voters.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 12^th, 2015.