BJP, Congress in MP in race of announcing freebies to impress voters

Bhopal: With Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections just a few months away, both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress in the state have been making announcements about freebies to impress the voters.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government headed by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is not just announcing the one after another scheme but also taking steps to implement them.

The Congress, on the other hand, led by state president Kamal Nath, has been making a series of promises.

Chouhan, who was given the tag of ‘ghoshna machine’ (announcement machine) by the opposition, has now announced to increase the amount of financial assistance from Rs 49,000 to Rs 51,000 under “Mukhyamantri Kanya Vivah Yojana”.

The Madhya Pradesh government provides financial assistance to the women whose marriages are conducted in mass marriage ceremonies under the scheme.

“We have tried to end the injustice meted out to daughters in society by launching several welfare schemes. Under the Mukhyamantri Kanya Vivah/Nikah Yojana, Rs 49,000 is being given at present for the wedding of girls belonging to poor sections of the society. It is now raised to Rs 51,000,” Chouhan made the announcement during a function held at Sonkatch town in Dewas district, around 160 km from here, on Thursday.

Kamal Nath on the same day (Thursday) announced that electricity charges up to 100 units would be waived off for people in the state and charges up to 200 units would be halved if Congress wins the assembly polls to be held later this year.

However, Thursday’s announcement regarding electricity at a cheaper rate was a reiteration as Kamal Nath has been mentioning the same for the last couple of months.

Before these announcements, CM Chouhan announced providing financial assistance of Rs 1,000 per month to women under “Ladli Behna Yojana” and he has been relentlessly campaigning for it across the state.

In the beginning, the scheme was enough to make an impression among the people, but the Congress announced to provide Rs 15,000 per month under “Nari Samman Yojana”.

The Congress also announced providing subsidised LPG cylinders at Rs 500 to households in the state.

Notably, the elections to the 230-member Assembly in Madhya Pradesh are scheduled to be held by the end of this year. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is seeking to retain power, while the opposition Congress is endeavouring to return to the helm.