India’s cities are drowning in political posters. It’s time to reclaim public spaces from vanity billboards and restore beauty, order, and meaning to our urban landscapes.
Welcome to the Great Indian Political Reality Show
Take a stroll through any city or town in India and you might wonder if you have wandered onto the set of a never-ending political reality show. Bus stops, lamp posts, traffic circles, boulevards, trees, even the humble public toilet wall and not to forget dustbin — everywhere you look, giant faces of politicians beam down at you. Some are celebrating birthdays, others are congratulating themselves for being elected (again) and a few seem to be just reminding you they exist, in case you forgot overnight.
The Price We Pay
It is not just an eyesore. These banners block important information, distract us while driving and sometimes even fall onto the road during a storm, causing accidents and chaos. The materials used are almost never eco-friendly, so once the birthday is over or the event forgotten, all that plastic and vinyl just adds to our already overflowing landfills.
Do We Really Need a Sea of Minister Posters?
There is a big event in the city and suddenly—overnight—the entire landscape changes. Lamp posts, bus stops, trees, traffic islands, the entire city and town roads, every available wall and corner are plastered with face cut outs and poorly photoshopped posters of Ministers and their disciples. Not just one or two, but the same smiling face repeated so many times you start to wonder if you have wandered into a hall of mirrors.
And then comes the uncomfortable question: whose money is paying for all this? Whether it is taxpayer funds or party coffers, it is ultimately the public who foots the bill, directly or indirectly. All for what? To turn a beautiful town/city into a giant billboard?
Let us be honest, these elephant sized posters do nothing for the city’s charm. They block views, clutter up roads, and turn public spaces into an eyesore. Unlike European cities, where public spaces are clean and aesthetics actually matter, we are stuck in a billboard jungle of political faces. There, you find art, greenery, and open plazas—not a politician’s grin at every turn. It is like swapping a peaceful garden for a selfie museum. Surely, our cities deserve better.
Who Decided This Was Okay?
Somewhere along the way, it became normal for our public spaces to be taken over by political self promotion. Maybe it started with a small poster, then a banner and now, entire neighborhoods are wrapped in a politician’s face like a giant birthday present nobody asked for.
Is it about keeping their brand alive? Feeding egos? Or just a habit? Whatever the reason, it is time to ask: who do these spaces really belong to?
Laws, Loopholes and the Never Ending Mess
Despite a robust framework of laws and court directives, illegal advertising in public spaces remains a persistent problem across Indian cities.
Municipal rules demand permission for every banner, and judges have thundered for crackdowns, yet the posters keep popping up like monsoon mushrooms. Blame it on lax enforcement, political muscle or the occasional friendly handshake between advertisers and officials. Even QR codes meant for transparency are only as good as their enforcement. Until our cities get more action and less lip service, the mess of banners will keep stealing the spotlight from our streets.
Time for a Rethink
Maybe it is time our leaders swapped selfie sessions for real service and let the city’s walls breathe again. Save the birthday wishes for WhatsApp, retire the endless posters, and let our streets show off their true colors—art, history and a little peace and quiet. After all, a truly great city is remembered for its spirit, not for how many times we have to dodge a politician’s and their disciples’ grin just to catch the bus.
(Khushbu Jain is a practicing advocate in the Supreme Court and founding partner of the law firm, Ark Legal and can be contacted on X : @advocatekhushbu.)
