- By Aalok Sensharma
- Fri, 07 Jan 2022 11:50 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Lucknow | Jagran Politics Desk: The Uttar Pradesh assembly elections 2022 has been dubbed as a 'semi-finals' for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Not just the BJP, Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party, Congress and Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) are also looking to revive themselves through the Uttar Pradesh polls.
As a result, all political parties and their leaders are leaving no stone unturned to woo the voters. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the new entrant in the battleground in Uttar Pradesh, has promised 300 units of free electricity if it is voted to power.
In its poll manifesto, the Arvind Kejriwal-led party has also promised to waive off all power arrears for the farmers and increase the education budget of the state. It also has promised to generate more employment.
Notably, the AAP has also made similar promises in Punjab, Uttarakhand and Goa where assembly polls are due this year.
On similar lines, Samajwadi Party chief and former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has promised completely free electricity for irrigation to farmers and 300 units of free domestic power on forming the government in Uttar Pradesh after the state's assembly elections.
"The year 2022 will be a new year with a new light for a new Uttar Pradesh. Three hundred units of electricity for households (domestic consumers) will be given for free and electricity for irrigation will be free," Yadav said in a Tweet on January 1.
On the other hand, Congress is playing the "woman card" to challenge the ruling BJP and the Samajwadi Party. In its poll manifesto, the grand old party has promised that 40 per cent of the 20 lakh new jobs her party aims to create in the state will be allotted to women.
It also promised to increase pensions for widows and senior citizens and provide free bus rides for women. The manifesto also said that Congress would provide a smartphone to every girl in the state studying in 10+2.
However, the ruling BJP has questioned the "freebies" announced by oppositions and said that it wants to contest the elections on the issue of development and success of the Yogi Adityanath government in the state.
"Opposition parties are trying to do politics of freebies because they have realised that they have lost their vote banks. But the UP public is aware that freebies bring hooliganism and mafia raj," BJP state spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi said, as reported by The Indian Express.
Assembly elections are slated to take place in Uttar Pradesh in February or March this year.