AAP vs BJP vs Congress: Battle of freebies in Delhi elections

NEW DELHI: Delhi is set for a fierce battle for 70 seats on February 5. The three parties, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress are leaving no stone unturned to woo the various sections of voters. Kejriwal's AAP who has retained power in the union territory for the last ten years with various welfare schemes has outlined its strategy with a strong emphasis on welfare, economic growth and infrastructural development in the city.

BJP, a major player in this three-way election, is hoping to ride the wave of its recent victory in Haryana and Maharashtra. The party was able to retain both states with welfare schemes like 'Ladli Behna Yojana' in Maharashtra and a slew of other measures aimed at wooing the OBC community and Agniveers in Haryana. The party is hoping to repeat the same in Delhi.
Congress, looking to make a comeback after a decade, has also announced 5 key guarantees aimed at women voters, unemployed youth and senior citizens.

AAP's manifesto for the Delhi Assembly elections outlines 15 key guarantees including monthly financial support of Rs 2,100 for women, round-the-clock clean water supply, healthcare provisions for senior citizens and reduced metro fares for students by 50 per cent.
Kejriwal confirmed that the six current welfare schemes of the AAP government, including free education, healthcare, women's bus travel, water and electricity would remain in place if the party wins the February 5 elections.
During the launch of 'Kejriwal ki Guarantee' manifesto, the former Delhi chief minister signed a commitment card guaranteeing immediate implementation of women's monthly payment scheme of Rs 2,100 upon forming the government.
"I, Arvind Kejriwal, guarantee that as soon as the Aam Aadmi Party government is formed, I will first start 'Mahila Samman Rashi Yojana' for my mothers and sisters," the guarantee card reads.
In a three-part manifesto, BJP promised to clean Yamuna within three years, extend complete ownership rights across 1,700 unauthorised colonies and provide Rs 10 lakh life insurance for gig workers, lawyers and labourers.
The party has also promised financial assistance of Rs 2,500 monthly to women from poor families under 'Mahila Samriddhi Yojana', LPG cylinders for Rs 500 to women from poor families, and one free cylinder each on Holi and Diwali.
Additional commitments include 50,000 government positions for youth and annual metro travel benefits worth Rs 4,000 for students in need. The party outlined plans for a Rs 20,000 crore integrated transport system, transitioning Delhi to an all-electric bus fleet with 13,000 vehicles, whilst ensuring swift completion of Delhi Metro Phase IV and round-the-clock public transport services.
The three-part BJP manifesto notably excludes specific schemes regarding free electricity and water provision. PM Modi and Union minister Amit Shah have meanwhile assured their party will not discontinue any current welfare schemes for the poor in Delhi.
Under the 'Mukhyamantri Nirman Shramik Samman Yojana', registered workers will receive up to Rs 10,000 for skill enhancement, toolkits and loans up to Rs 3 lakh.
Hoping to come back to power in Delhi, Congress in its manifesto promised to conduct a caste census and set up a ministry for Purvanchalis if it is voted to power.
The party, which lost power to the AAP in 2013, announced several welfare schemes, including a Rs 2,500 monthly allowance for women, 300 units of free electricity to all qualifying households and subsidised LPG cylinders priced at Rs 500 along with a free ration kit.
Congress also committed to no-cost health coverage worth Rs 25 lakh and free ration packages for eligible beneficiaries.
In its comprehensive manifesto, detailing 22 key focus areas, Congress pledged financial support of Rs 8,500 monthly for a year to qualified jobless youth. Additionally, it proposed establishing 100 Indira canteens throughout the capital, offering meals at Rs 5.
The party has also promised scholarships and hostels for transgender persons and universally accessible washrooms for the community in public spaces.
Here's a look at key promises and schemes announced by AAP, BJP and Congress for Delhi:

Category	AAP	BJP	Congress
Women	Rs 2,100 per month to every woman	Rs 2,500 monthly to women from below poverty line	Rs 2,500 per month to one woman in every poor household
		Rs 21,000 and 6 nutritional kits to every pregnant woman
		33% reservation to women in Delhi government jobs	33% of new state government jobs for women
		Interest-free loans up to ₹1 lakh to women working in Self Help Groups
		Free DTC bus services to women
		Free electric scooters to meritorious girl students after passing class 12
		80% subsidy to 1,000 women drivers for pink e-autos
		Rs 50,000 for marriage of daughters from poor families	Rs 1.1 lakh for marriage of widows, their daughters and orphan girls
		Increase monthly pension for widows, destitute and abandoned women from Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,000	Fresh pension scheme of Rs 5,000 per month to widows, destitute and abandoned women
Students/Youth	Full scholarship to children from Dalit community for pursuing higher education abroad	Free KG to PG education to poor students in Delhi’s govt institutions	One-year apprenticeship with stipend of Rs 8,500 per month for 1 year to unemployed youth
	Free bus rides for students	Rs 15,000 to youth preparing for competitive examinations	DTC passes to school children
	Discount in Metro for students	Reimbursing travel cost to exam centre and application fee for up to 2 attempts	Free laptops and tablets to meritorious school students
		Govt jobs to 50,000 youth in Delhi	Special scholarships for female students in Delhi's colleges and universities
		Rs 500 daily for meals to eligible national/international athletes
		Free medical insurance up to Rs 10 lakh to state-level athletes
Senior Citizens	Free treatment in government and private hospitals	Free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh under Ayushman Bharat Yojana and additional cover Rs 5 lakh cover by Delhi govt to all 70+ senior citizens	Fresh pension scheme of Rs 5,000 per month for senior citizens
		Increase pension for citizens aged 60-70 from Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500 and for senior citizens aged 70+ from Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,000
Household		LPG cylinders for Rs 500 to women from poor families; One free cylinder each on Holi and Diwali	Rs 500 per cylinder with free ration kit
	Electricity upto 200 units (50% subsidy beyond) and water	All Delhi govt welfare schemes, including free electricity, to continue	Free electricity upto 300 units to qualifying households
Medical	For senior citizens (Mentioned above)	For senior citizens (Mentioned above)	Free health coverage up to Rs 25 lakh for all residents of Delhi
Others	Separate electricity metres for tenants
	Rs 18,000 monthly financial aid to priests and gurudwara granthis
	Rs 1 lakh for wedding of auto driver's daughters and Rs 10 lakh life insurance and Rs 5 lakh health insurance policies

Source: Manifesto released by AAP, BJP and Congress