AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal on Monday released 15 poll promises under 'Kejriwal ki Guarantee' claiming to be the pioneer in using the 'guarantee' concept in politics. These include assured jobs for the youth, Rs 2,100 monthly assistance for women, new ration cards and waiver of inflated water and power bills.
Kejriwal also announced Rs 1 lakh assistance for marriage of daughters of auto, taxi and e-rickshaw drivers in the national Capital, apart from Rs 10 lakh life insurance for the drivers.
Releasing the final manifesto for the February 5 Assembly election, the former Delhi Chief Minister admitted that he had failed to fulfill his 2020 poll promise of cleaning the Yamuna, providing 24X7 clean drinking water and European standard roads.
"I am admitting that we could not fulfill these works due to Covid-19 and our team's imprisonment. These three works are my dream and in the next five years we will achieve these as we have a plan and adequate funds for them," Kejriwal said.
Kejriwal has cautioned the electorate that the BJP will revoke free welfare schemes in case they come to power in Delhi and promised, "Pressing 'Jhaadu' button in the coming election will result in a monthly saving of Rs 25,000 for each family in the city.
I think many poor families, including those from the middle class, will be forced to leave the city if this saving is stopped," Kejriwal said, asserting that each family in the city is saving a monthly sum of Rs 10,000 due to free education for kids, Rs 5,000 through the free power scheme, Rs 2,000 from free water, Rs 5,000 because of free healthcare and Rs 2,500-Rs 3,000 due to the free bus travel scheme for women.
We have promised it. The scheme of 'Mahila Samman Yojana' will surely see its implementation on the first cabinet meeting of our AAP government", said Kejriwal, 'Jhaadu' is nothing but symbolic for the goddess of wealth, Laxmi.
"If you press the 'Jhaadu' button in EVM and if you have some around two women in your family, then you get Rs 4,000 extra besides the saving every month of Rs 25,000," he added.
Some other guarantees repeated in the 15 'Kejriwal ki Guarantee' included elimination of tanker mafia, free electricity benefit for rent receivers, Rs 18,000 every month for priests and granthis, repairing the overflowing and clogged sewers in two weeks of taking office and sewer line replacement after one year of government formation.
When I was in jail, they did such a shoddy job and blocked sewers. I will make sure that the blocked sewers are repaired on priority," Kejriwal said.
Kejriwal also repeated the earlier promises of financial assistance and scholarship for students from weaker sections of society, free travel for students in DTC buses and 50 per cent concession on their Metro travel, free pilgrimage for the elderly and the Sanjeevani health insurance for all 60-plus residents.
He claimed that all the promises announced under the 'Kejriwal ki Guarantee' would be over and above the six 'revaris' – free boffo, free water, free education, free pilgrimages, free bus travel for women and free medical care already available in Delhi.
The final set of the AAP's poll promises comes two days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah unveiled the BJP's 'Sankap Patra-part 3', promising welfare schemes to a cross-section of voters-from women, students to slum-dwellers and auto/taxi operators, to the middle-class families who had fled to India from Pakistan.
Voting to elect 70 new Delhi legislators will take place on February 5 and results will be declared on February 8. In the outgoing Assembly, the AAP has 62 MLAs and the BJP has eight.
In fact, while the AAP is fighting to bag a fourth straight victory, the BJP is trying to return to power after 27 years. During the 2020 election, the ruling AAP's vote share was 54 percent, BJP's vote share was 39 percent and the Congress' vote share was 4 percent.