- As you are aware, the months from September to December are considered a festive season since some of the major festivals like Dasara, Deepavali, and followed by Christmas are celebrated with lots of pomp, gaiety, and religious verve by the Indian citizens. Of course, there is no dearth of festivities dotting the calendar year in the country as one or the other festivals are always around the corner for us. Nonetheless, the last three months of the year are always considered the biggest of the lot raking in humongous domestic consumption for the markets leading to healthy GDP growth. That said, these months this year also happen to be the season of elections as five state assemblies go to the polls indicating which way the political wind is blowing in the country.
PC: ET
- Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Mizoram are already amid electioneering setting the stage for the riveting contests that will have a definite bearing on the national political scenario. Remember, the mother of all elections – the parliamentary polls – is due in April/May next year. As such, these state assembly election results assume great importance for the main protagonists like the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress to know where exactly the citizens want them to be. Now, any election in India is usually accompanied by promises, assurances, and incentives as well as the new trend sweeping across the country, the poll guarantees. Not surprising or unexpected, you see.
- The Congress tasted monumental success with its five poll guarantees in Karnataka state assembly elections leading to the Grand Old Party attempting to replicate the template in the poll-bound states. Even though the BJP ridiculed the promises as economically unsustainable and imprudent – Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself scorned the freebies or poll promises big-time – the saffron brigade is also not discounting the attraction of the guarantees to sway the voter’s opinions away from the opposition. The moot point to ponder over here is what prompted the BJP to embrace the move it derided in the first place. It’s simple, the fear of losing out as Congress’s gain comes only at the loss of BJP in some of the most crucial states in the crucial elections.
PC: Quora
- What about fiscal prudency and economic rationale? The obvious answer would be to look the other way since consolidating the vote bank assumes paramount importance rather than preaching about parochial considerations. No wonder, guarantees being promised based on the local assessments are raining all around with even the BJP manifestos vowing freebies aimed at attracting diverse social backgrounds. As the Lok Sabha election approaches, we can rest assured that many more guarantees will be forthcoming from different political entities aimed at not only consolidating the assiduously built-up vote banks but also making inroads into new territories to emerge victorious at the hustings. Why worry about fiscal prudence? We cannot change, you see.
