SP manifesto to promise free power, pension to women, jobs

Lucknow: The Samajwadi Party has started preparing its election manifesto for the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

Taking a leaf from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) manifesto, the Samajwadi Party will be promising free electricity up to 300 units for poor families and Rs 1,500 monthly pension to women head of the BPL families. The party will also assure 10 lakh jobs for the youth.

“Free electricity scheme is likely to figure in the manifesto along with pension for women and jobs for youth,” said a senior leader, collecting the feedback from the party workers on the manifesto.

According to party sources, leaders preparing the manifesto are scanning the manifestoes of those parties that have successfully defeated the BJP in recent elections — AAP in Delhi, Trinamool Congress in West Bengal and Congress in Punjab.

These issues have also found approval among party cadres across the state when the SP leadership sought their feedback on what should be included in the party manifesto for the Assembly polls, slated to be held early next year.

Most of the party workers said such issues which directly affect the poor and the middle class should be a part of the manifesto as it will give SP an edge over its political rivals.

Sources said party leadership was also holding consultations with experts to take a call on the financial viability of the three issues that are being included in the manifesto.

Party’s chief spokesperson and secretary Rajendra Chaudhary, said, “Party workers and leaders have made such a suggestion because they have earlier seen how our national president lived up to the promise of distributing free laptops, metro rail project and Lucknow-Agra Expressway project.”

He said people know that when the party makes a promise, it fulfils it too.

Many of the party workers have also suggested that the party should also announce that these promises will be fulfilled in the first cabinet meeting that will be held after the SP is voted to power in the 2022 polls.