POPULISM TAKES POLL POSITION

As Assembly elections in Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir draw to a close this week, political parties lure voters with populist measures. While SHIKHA CHATURVEDI looks at promises to boost economic growth and social welfare in Haryana, SAMREEN WANI explores similar pledges in J&K where unemployment is on the rise

As Haryana gears up for Assembly elections on October 5, political parties are trying to outdo each other in making welfare promises in their manifestos.

With the central themes revolving around 'jawan', 'kisan', and 'pehlwan', pressing issues like unemployment and women's welfare too have found prominent spots in manifestos, with commitments that include minimum support prices (MSP) for farmers, enhanced infrastructure, cash transfers to women, and guaranteed government jobs for ex-Agniveers.

Even as the contribution of agriculture to the overall economy has come down in Haryana, it still employs a substantial chunk of the population.

The focus on 'kisan' resonates deeply with the electorate. Haryana allocates only 5.3 per cent of its total budget to agriculture, lower than average expenditure on agriculture by other states (5.9 per cent).

In this context, the proposed schemes and guarantees of minimum support price (MSP) are timely promises aimed at strengthening support for the farming community, which is in the fore-front of demanding legalisation of assured floor farm prices.