Haryana polls: Congress vows women welfare, free electricity in manifesto

The Congress has also pledged to fill two lakh government positions, make Haryana a drug-free state, and provide free healthcare coverage of up to Rs 25 lakh

Ahead of the upcoming Haryana state Assembly polls on October 5, the Congress party on Wednesday (Sept 18) released its manifesto, guaranteeing seven promises for the state.

The party has placed a strong emphasis on women empowerment and children's welfare. The manifesto promises Rs 2,000 per month to every woman above 18 years as well as LPG gas cylinders in Rs 500.

Among the other major commitments, it has promised 300 units of free electricity for households, and a pension of Rs 6,000 for widows and disabled individuals. On pension, the party has also promised a return of the hotly contested Old Pension Scheme (OPS) in the state.

 

To tackle unemployment, Congress has pledged to fill two lakh government positions. Additionally, the manifesto highlights the party’s intent to make Haryana a drug-free state and provide free healthcare coverage of up to Rs 25 lakh. 

Moreover, the manifesto stated that the Congress government would provide 100 yards of plots to poor families for building homes.

The party has also assured the public of conducting a caste survey and offering a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) for farmers’ produce.

Congress seat sharing in Haryana

The Congress, after its performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections, is focused on displacing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Haryana elections, despite being unable to finalise an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Congress is set to contest 89 seats, while the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] will field a candidate in the Bhiwani constituency.

Initially aiming to avoid a vote split, Congress had hinted at a possible joint effort with the AAP. However, the alliance talks fell through as the two INDIA bloc partners couldn’t agree on seat distribution. The AAP, with no stronghold in Haryana, demanded double-digit seats, while Congress preferred offering single-digit seats, with some reports indicating the figure might have been around five.

Despite the unsuccessful negotiations, several Congress leaders have dismissed its potential impact, pointing out that AAP lacks a foothold in Haryana. In the 2019 state elections, AAP contested 46 seats but garnered less than 1 per cent of the vote, and it did not participate in the 2014 elections.

The elections in Haryana will be conducted in a single phase across 90 constituencies on October 5, and the results will be announced on October 8. Over 20 million eligible voters will cast their ballots, with 10.78 million men, 9.57 million women, and 467 transgender voters registered.