The BJP election manifesto: High on output, short on outcome

If an election promise has to be credible, silence on practical questions or key policy issues doesn't help matters, writes T N Ninan

While no election is over till the last vote is counted, the virtually uniform findings of opinion polls suggest that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will return to power, probably as the largest plurality and as part of a coalition. The party’s election manifesto therefore deserves close scrutiny, especially since many of the promises made in the 2014 manifesto have guided the Modi government’s actions since—whether it is the thrust on digitization and technology-based solutions, Swachh Bharat or cow protection.

An important feature of the Narendra Modi approach to development is the focus on output rather than outcomes. Output is