Delhi Assembly elections: What do Congress, BJP and AAP manifestos promise?

Story so far: The race for the nation’s capital is on as the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) seeks to retain Delhi for the third consecutive time in the upcoming state polls. Its prime opposition is the BJP, which is eyeing to recapture Delhi as it has not been in power in the Union territory since 1998. Playing spoilsport to the two-way fight is a beleaguered Congress, which had allied with AAP in the Lok Sabha, but is now pitted against it.

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Wooing voters, all three have made promises to women, students, educated youth, farmers, elderly, priests and service workers like auto-rickshaw drivers, washermen, and anganwadi workers. Areas of focus in their manifestos/guarantees include agriculture, transport, pollution, jobs, healthcare, education and utilities like power, water and waste treatment. There are also a plethora of freebies promised to targetted group of people – consistent with both AAP and Congress’ pre-poll announcements and a 180-degree turn by the BJP.

Here is a comparison of all three manifestos.

Women

Following the trend in recent State polls, women have been wooed by all parties. The BJP has promised ₹2500 per month to women from poor families, a grant of ₹21,000 and six nutritional kits to every pregnant woman, gas cylinders at ₹500 and one free on Holi and Deepawali. It will also build 250 ‘pink’ toilets which will have vending machines for sanitary napkins and feeding rooms. Other promises include a women-only police battalion and paid maternity leave for up to six months for all domestic workers.

AAP has not released a detailed manifesto, but has instead opted to list a 15-point ‘Kejriwal ki guarantee’ which promises a ₹2100 monthly dole out to all women. Congress, too, has promised a ₹2500 monthly transfer to one woman per poor family. However, it has additionally also promised a 33% reservation in government jobs to women and a ₹5000 monthly pension for widows, cooking gas at Rs. 500 per cylinder and a free ration kit.

Students and education

In its three-part manifesto, the BJP has promised one-time financial assistance of ₹15,000 for competitive exams, free kindergarten (KG) to post-graduation (PG) education to poor students and implementation of the New Education Policy 2020 in Delhi. For Scheduled Caste (SC) students, BJP announced the Ambedkar Stipend Scheme under which every student will receive a monthly stipend of ₹1000, free laptops will be given to meritorious students of Class 12 and 50% concession on fees of professional courses.

Similarly, AAP announced the Ambedkar Scholarship Yojana to meet the expenses of Dalit students getting admission in universities abroad, and free bus rides and 50% concession for Delhi metro for all students. The Congress’ promises are more sector-based, with the party promising to open 700 libraries, run free school buses and career counselling units, grant full funding for all universities, and include cultural education in the curriculum. In policy changes, it has promised to make it mandatory for private schools to open their playgrounds to neighbourhood children after school hours, introduce a new Delhi Education Policy to replace the NEP 2020 and regulate fee structures.

Health, electricity and water

Relying on its Central schemes, the BJP has promised to implement Ayushman Bharat, offering free treatment up to ₹5 lakh. Focusing on taxi and auto-drivers, BJP has promised them life insurance upto ₹10 lakh, accident insurance up to ₹5 lakh and scholarships for their children. AAP has also made the same promise. The Congress has promised free health insurance of up to ₹25 lakh and constructing ten new super specialty hospitals in the city.

Also Read: Delhi Assembly elections 2025: Key candidates, constituencies to watch out for

As it did in other poll-bound states, BJP has offered ‘free power’ to the poor via its solar energy scheme, the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana. AAP has promised to continue its free power scheme while Congress has promised 300 units of free electricity. On the subject of water, BJP has promised to implement its Jal Jeevan Mission while AAP has ‘guaranteed’ 24-hour free water supply and the waiver of pending bills. 

Youth and jobs

BJP has promised 50,000 government jobs, a poll promise the AAP has one-upped, saying it will provide jobs to all youth. The Congress, on the other hand, has offered ₹8,500 per month to educated unemployed youth for a year, mooted an end to contract jobs after 2025 and said it will award 15% of government contracts to SCs.

Farmers and food

100% registration of all farmers under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana with ₹9000 annual assistance and setting up of Atal Canteens offering meals at ₹5 are BJP’s poll promises in the domain of agriculture. AAP has promised to restart issuing of ration cards while the Congress has promised to set up 100 Indira canteens and waive all pending dues of farmers.

Pollution

Tackling the polluted air and Yamuna waters, the BJP has promised to increase Delhi’s water treatment capacity to 1500 MCD, a flood-free Delhi with ₹700 crore investment, and to revitalise Yamuna with 100% effluent-treatment and zero industrial emissions into the river. For clean air, it has promised to halve Delhi’s average air quality index (AQI), reduce PM-2.5 and PM-10 levels by 50%, transition 50% vehicles to electric/hybrid and make Delhi a 100% e-bus city.

The AAP has promised to clean the river and fix sewers on a war footing. Going into detail, the Congress has promised to clean the Yamuna by removing encroachments, ensuring 100% treatment of water flows, installing green police stations along the riverbanks and constructing wells near Wazirabad for rain-water harvesting. It has also promised the completion of sewer projects. Going green, it has promised to increase electric buses in the DTC by 500 per year.

Seniors, military persons, service workers and others

Senior citizens between ages 60-70 have been promised a monthly pension of ₹2500 by the BJP while those above 70 years will get ₹3000 per month. AAP has offered free treatment to all senior citizens in private and government hospitals while the Congress has surpassed them all with a promised monthly pension of ₹5000 for senior citizens.

AAP was the first to offer an honarium of ₹18,000 per month to Hindu priests and Gurudwara granthis, which was subsequently surpassed by the BJP which has promised ₹20,000 to them. The Congress, on the other hand, has promised Madrasa development and modernisation, and welfare boards for Jains, Sikhs, and Punjabis.

The parties differ on certain promises to specific groups of people. The BJP has promised a ₹3000 monthly pension to small traders, welfare boards for auto, taxi drivers, washermen, gig economy workers and domestic workers and a mechanised dhobi ghat.

AAP has promised funds to resident welfare associations to hire private security guards. For government employees, it has promised hostels, house allocation, mobile mohalla clinics, law on working hours, and life and health insurance at ₹10 lakh and ₹5 lakh respectively.

As its manifesto focuses on social justice, the Congress has promised to increase the OBC creamy layer limit to ₹12 lakh/year, scholarships, hostels, and job reservations for transgender persons and universally accessible washrooms. It has also suggested a review of laws hindering the inclusion of the LGBTQIA+ community. It has promised a rollback of the Agnipath scheme and an ex-gratia payment of ₹2 crore to the family of martyrs, as well as jobs for one dependent.

Housing and infrastructure

Both the Congress and BJP have promised to grant full ownership rights to 1700 unauthorised colonies and freehold property status to all refugees’ colonies. Ganging up on AAP, both national parties have promised to investigate scams that took place during AAP’s regime.

Aided by the Centre, BJP has promised to attract $50 billion in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to Delhi, to effect a complete infrastructure overhaul and to make Chandni Chowk Delhi’s first model marketplace. The Congress has promised to give licences to non-polluting industries and to speed up redevelopment of 27 industrial areas.

The 70-seat Delhi Assembly goes to the polls on February 5 and results will be announced on February 8. While AAP has projected its founder Arvind Kejriwal as its Chief Ministerial pick, both the Congress and BJP have not projected anyone, banking on the popularity of Mr. Rahul Gandhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi respectively.