In an exclusive ground survey, India News on Wednesday surveyed over 500 respondents to provide insights into the public’s perspective of the political landscape in Madhya Pradesh, as well as the trend of political parties promising “freebies” as an electoral strategy to gain ground in the state. The Congress released its Vachan Patra—the 106-page manifesto for Madhya Pradesh on 17 October. The document listed 1,290 promises of the party, including filling 2 lakh vacant posts, creating 1 lakh new posts in villages and turning the state into an industrial hub.
Other promises include bringing the procurement price for paddy to Rs.2,500 per quintal and wheat at Rs.2,600 per quintal with a mission to ensure Rs.3,000 per quintal to farmers. Under the Nandini Gau Dhan Yojana, cowdung will be procured for Rs.2 per kg. Meanwhile, Rs.1,500 to Rs. 3,000 will be given monthly to young unemployed people under Yuva Swabhiman Yojana.
The party has also earmarked Rs. 1.01 lakh for daughters under the Beti Vivah Yojana and benefits to the tune of Rs. 2.51 lakh will be provided to the girl child under Meri Beti Ladli Yojana. Social security pension will be raised to Rs. 1,200 a month.
Promotion and a big pay hike has been promised to government employees. Efforts will be made for Madhya Pradesh to have its own IPL team.
To promote sports, the Padak Lao schemes will be launched. The Congress has promised nine rights to the people of Madhya Pradesh. including “Right to Water, Health, Electricity, Education, Housing, Minimum Income, Employment Guarantee and Social Justice”. Also an amount of Rs.25 lakh health insurance and Rs.10 lakh accident insurance cover for each family respectively have been promised.
Among the promises made in the Congress manifesto, the farmer loan waiver appears to be the most significant factor that could potentially guarantee victory for Congress in Madhya Pradesh. It has the highest support (36.45%), followed at 11.66% by the monthly Rs. 1,500 allowance for women. In a similar vein, the Ladli Behna Yojana stands out as a promise that could secure victory for the BJP, as it has the highest support (38.75%), follweed by the Kisan Samman Nidhi (19.37%) and the self-employment scheme to empower tribals (13.12%).
The survey found that a significant portion of respondents view freebies as a “wrong tradition” (33.33%), indicating skepticism towards such promises. However, a notable percentage (14.16%) sees them as beneficial for weaker sections, and some are concerned about the financial burden on the government (19.58%) and the middle class (17.29%).
The data also suggests that the Congress has a slight lead (48.45%) over the BJP (45.29%) in the electoral battle for the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly, although it’s a relatively close contest. A majority of respondents (49.08%) believe that the internal tussle between Digvijay Singh and Kamal Nath will affect the Congress party’s chances in the state. Meanwhile, a significant portion of respondents (48.95%) think that if Shivraj Singh Chouhan is not made the BJP’s CM face, it could result in losses for the party.