Pichkaris (sprayers) carrying photos of Lalu Prasad, Nitish Kumar are in heavy demand among the Holi revellers. Top cricketers and Bollywood stars also continue to be popular along with them in the market before the festival of colours.

The pichkari-makers have put on display sprayers of different sizes and colours named after, Lalu Prasad, his arch rival and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, India cricket captain M S Dhoni [Images], Bollywood actress Bipasha Basu [Images] to encash on their popularity.

Pichkaris shaped as guns, grenades, rocket-launchers with flashing lights as well as the traditional ones with prices ranging from Rs 10-1,000 have flooded the market.

"Lalu-Bholu" pichkaris in the shape of rocket-launchers and deadly weapons are in great demand, Roshan Kumar, a shopowner at Boring Canal Road in Patna said.

Customers are preferring pichkaris with photos of politicians over cricketers and Bollywood stars as election fever grips the state, shopowners said. "Sprayers bearing the names of wrestler Khali, Hollywood characters--James Bond, Terminator, Superman and Spiderman are also selling well," Md Hafiz, a pichkari seller in Patna added.