Buntings, flags and posters seem passe, at least in J-K this poll season. It’s caps embossed with party symbols which are hot favourites among politicians and supporters alike. The two main political parties, National Conference and People’s Democratic party, have distributed thousands of party caps among their workers.Shunning Karkulis, the traditional Kashmiri caps, senior leaders of both the NC and the PDP have taken to party caps, especially at rallies and public gatherings. The NC has been painting the town red with its workers donning red caps during rallies. Party president Omar Abdullah makes it a point to wear a party cap. On many occasions, he has gone ahead and gifted his cap to a worker on request. ‘‘Omar sahib gifts a cap every day to party workers who ask for them,’’ says an NC spokesman while insisting that it’s his party that introduced the caps and other parties are now following suit.‘‘We have arranged thousands of caps for our workers. Even older people — who support the party — ask for these caps,’’ the NC official says.‘‘I managed to get one from Omar sahib. I will wear it till elections are over. My friends have also been asking for caps but I am not ready to part with mine,’’ says party worker Gulshan.The ruling PDP has also started distributing caps among it’s loyal cadres at election rallies. In Baramulla alone, the party has distributed hundreds of green caps. Even PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, who loves to wear scarves, has been spotted wearing party cap during many poll gatherings. A senior PDP leader says: ‘‘We have distributed some caps among our workers as they asked for them. It’s a routine affair for us.’’The BJP, which hardly has a presence in the Valley, has also distributed party caps. The only party left untouched by the party cap fad is the Congress which has asked its workers to stick to Gandhi caps. However, majority of partymen prefer traditional Kashmiri caps over the Gandhi topi.Congress spokesman Muzuffar Parray says they don’t believe in wearing caps. ‘‘The Congress has its own traditions (of topis) which, due to some compulsions, we can’t follow here but we convey our messages through buntings, banners and posters’’ he says.
