Lucknow: In the run-up to the “high-stakes” 2022 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP and the Samajwadi Party are engaged in a stiff competition, both reaching out to farmers and women in election manifestos that were released on the same day, Tuesday.
While the BJP has promised free electricity for irrigation to farmers (also a part of SP manifesto) and a price stability fund for deciding the “minimum price” of crops such as potato, tomato and onion, the SP has promised to calculate minimum support price (MSP) for all crops in line with the provisions of the Swaminathan committee formula of 2004 (cost of production+50 per cent), farmers’ markets, and a debt relief law that will also include provisions for a kisan aayog or farmers commission.
The “Priyanka effect” — Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi had announced a women-centric campaign for the party earlier — is also visible in the manifestoes of both the BJP and the SP.
While the SP has promised women 33 per cent reservation in government jobs, the BJP has promised women aged over 60 years free travel in public transport, along with scooters for young women (also announced by Priyanka Gandhi in a tweet in October last year).
कल मैं कुछ छात्राओं से मिली। उन्होंने बताया कि उन्हें पढ़ने व सुरक्षा के लिए स्मार्टफोन की जरूरत है।
मुझे खुशी है कि घोषणा समिति की सहमति से आज UP कांग्रेस ने निर्णय लिया है कि सरकार बनने पर इंटर पास लड़कियों को स्मार्टफोन और स्नातक लड़कियों को इलेक्ट्रानिक स्कूटी दी जाएगी। pic.twitter.com/hoW5DfhS3f
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) October 21, 2021
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The farmers agitation effect
The impact of the year-long farmers’ protest against the now-repealed three controversial farm laws brought in by the Modi government is clear on the manifestos of both parties.
While many farmer leaders in western UP have already announced support for the SP-RLD alliance in the region, both the BJP and the SP are still doing their best to woo the agricultural community in the state.
The issue of MSP — one of the demands of the agitating farmers was a legal guarantee for MSP — found mention in both manifestos. Both parties also announced free electricity for irrigation to farmers, along with payment of dues to sugarcane farmers within a fortnight. The BJP has also announced payment of interest to sugarcane farmers, in case they are not paid within 14 days.
The BJP has also promised three new schemes for farmers, including a Rs 5,000 crore CM Krishi Sinchayi Yojana to provide assistance to small and marginal farmers for construction of borewell, tubewell, ponds and tanks for irrigation, Rs 25,000 crore Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel agri-infrastructure mission for construction of pruning and grading units, cold chain chambers, godowns and processing centres, and Rs 1,000 crore Bhamashah Bhav Sthirta Kosh (price stability fund) to ensure minimum price of crops, including tomato, potato and onion.
Within hours of the BJP releasing its manifesto, the SP announced MSP calculation for all crops in line with the Swaminathan formula, as well as other assistance to farmers, such as providing two bags of diammonium phosphate fertiliser and five sacks of urea to all farmers owning less than two acres of land, and one “kisan bazaar (farmers’ market)” every 10 kilometres where “farmers can sell their produce directly to consumers”. The party has also promises to make every farmer debt-free by 2025.
“Relatives of farmers who lost their lives during the kisan andolan will be given Rs 25 lakh (as compensation) and a kisan smarak (memorial) will be established in their memory,” SP national president Akhilesh Yadav said, while releasing the manifesto.
Wooing women voters
The Congress, which had won just seven seats in the 2017 election and has been left with only three MLAs after a spate of defections, announced last year that the party will give 40 per cent tickets to female candidates across the 403 UP assembly seats.
Last year, party leader Priyanka Gandhi also promised free electric scooters to all women graduates and a smartphone for every girl who has passed Class 12.
The BJP in its manifesto has also announced free scooters to “meritorious (female) students” under the existing Rani Lakshmibai Yojana, along with free travel to women aged over 60 years in public transport, Rs 1,000 crore for public toilets for women, increasing financial assistance to Rs 25,000 from Rs 15,000 for girl children in families with an income of Rs 3 lakh or less, and 3,000 “pink” police booths (for women and with women staff).
The SP, meanwhile, has promised 33 per cent reservations for women in all government jobs, including in UP Police.
“Facility of lodging FIRs via email and WhatsApp under 1090 scheme will be given along with tracking of crime under the 1090 app,” said Akhilesh Yadav. The party’s manifesto also mentions “mahila ration cards for all BPL families within one year and restarting the Samajwadi Pension Yojana to extend an assistance of Rs 18,000 to women of BPL families.
Education and unemployment
With the Opposition targeting it for unemployment in the state, the BJP has attempted to reach the state’s unemployed youth, by promising employment or self-employment opportunities to every family and free coaching to those interested in appearing for the UPSC, UPPSC, NDA, CDS, JEE, NIIT, TET, CLAT and other competitive exams.
Announcing an industrial training institute (ITI) in each block of UP, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who released the BJP manifesto, called it a significant promise.
“We will ensure that each division has one university,” he said, while announcing the opening of educational institutions across the state as part of the party’s manifesto in UP — Maa Shakhumbhari Devi university in Saharanpur, Ayush teaching centre in Ayodhya, Maharaja Suheldev University in Azamgarh, Guru Gorakhnath Ayush University in Gorakhpur and four other universities.
The two parties also targeted each other while releasing the manifestos for the elections. While Shah claimed 92 per cent of the promises in the BJP’s 2017 manifesto had been completed, Yadav taunted the BJP’s “sankalp patra (manifesto)“ as “galp-patra (letter of imagination or stories)”.
(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
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