Poll Gamble: Haryana BJP Goes Freebies Way To Counter Resentment, Congress And A Surging AAP

Haryana is all set to go to assembly elections in October this year to elect 90 legislators. The Congress is confident of unseating the BJP this time, with much anti-incumbency in play and farmers' protests still a raging issue, in the state. The BJP, under the fresh leadership of Nayab Singh Saini as the Chief Minister (earlier he was state BJP president), has taken several steps in the recent past to woo the voters.

Freebies Politics

To counter the array of freebies offered/promised by Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party every election, the BJP-led state government has finally decided to tread the same path in Haryana. CM Saini has announced monthly financial aid for students, thus wooing the parents as well.

"In the past seven months, the government has provided government jobs to 37,000 youth...I have decided that from 1st August 2024, the 12th pass unemployed youth will now get Rs 1,200 as an unemployment allowance. At the same time, graduate pass unemployed youth will get Rs 2,000 unemployment allowance and post-graduate unemployed youth will be provided Rs 3,500 as unemployment allowance," said Saini.

Cheaper LPG Bet

The LPG price has been a pain point for the BJP across the country. Despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the Ujjwala scheme, the BJP fared poorly in the Lok Sabha elections due to various reasons including inflation. An LPG cylinder, which used to cost Rs 400-500 in 2014 after subsidy, now costs Rs 800 after subsidy. The Congress has also been giving/promising LPG cylinders for Rs 500 each. Now, the Saini government has also decided the same. "Har Ghar-Har Grihini Portal has been launched to provide domestic gas cylinders for Rs 500 each. I extend my heartiest congratulations and best wishes to all the deserving sisters," said CM Nayab Singh Saini. The move is aimed at wooing the women voters of the state.

500 रुपए में घरेलू गैस सिलेंडर उपलब्ध करवाने हेतु "हर घर-हर गृहिणी पोर्टल" का शुभारंभ किया है।

मैं सभी पात्र बहनों को बहुत-बहुत बधाई एवं शुभकामनाएं देता हूं।

पंजीकरण हेतु पोर्टल https://t.co/BnYCK2vzzq pic.twitter.com/MitI7cwbtA

— Nayab Saini (@NayabSainiBJP) August 12, 2024

OBC Creamy Layer Move

In July, the Haryana Government raised the creamy layer income limit for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) from Rs 6 lakh to Rs 8 lakh annually. Additionally, a 5% reservation for the OBC-B category was introduced in Panchayati Raj Institutions and municipalities. Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced these changes at the ‘Backward Class Samman Sameelan’ event in Mahendragarh. The Haryana Government has also released a notification confirming the increased creamy layer threshold for OBCs.

Namo Drone Didi Scheme

To further make women self-employed and woo the female voters, CM Saini said the 'Namo Drone Didi Scheme' announced by the Prime Minister has been implemented in the state. Under this scheme, 500 women and 5,000 women from self-help groups (SHGs) will be trained by 2025, and a drone will be provided to these SHGs to assist farmers in the agricultural sector. He also announced an 80 per cent subsidy or a maximum of Rs 8 lakh for purchasing drones and equipment for SHGs. The cost of this initiative will be approximately Rs 54 crore.

Wooing The OBC Voters 

OBCs in Haryana, comprising 78 castes, are estimated to make up about 40% of the state’s population. It was due to this factor that the BJP replaced Punjabi CM Manohar Lal Khattar with an OBC face Nayab Singh Saini. Two of the three Haryana ministers in the current National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, Rao Inderjit and Krishan Pal Gurjar, hail from the Backward Classes. During a rally in Haryana last month, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that the newly introduced 5% reservation for the OBC-B category would be in addition to the existing 8% quota for the OBC-A category. 

Urging the OBC community to support the BJP in securing a full majority in Haryana, Amit Shah highlighted that the BJP had brought the country its first strong Prime Minister from the Backward Classes. He also noted that 27 ministers in the 71-member Union Cabinet, including two from Haryana, belong to the Backward Classes. Furthermore, Shah emphasized that Prime Minister Modi has upheld the constitutional rights of the community by establishing the OBC Commission and ensuring 27% reservation in Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas, and Sainik Schools.