Free laptops, scooty, gas cylinders and education, and loan waivers – the assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Mizoram ushered in a barrage of ‘freebies’, with the most on offer in Chhattisgarh, MP and Telangana.
In Chhattisgarh, while the Congress’s loan waiver was the heavyweight, the BJP’s big promise was MSP for paddy and scholarships for the children of small farmers. But the Bhupesh Baghel government outshined both – with a higher rate for paddy procurement, and promise of “free education from KG to PG” – referring to kindergarten and post-graduation.
