Even as the freebie vs welfare debate grabbed headlines in the run-up to the Gujarat elections, it was the delivery of government schemes such as free ration and medicines that bolstered BJP’s support in the polls. It was the popularity of the central and the State government initiatives such as free ration, Awas Yojna and Kissan Samman Nidhi that played a key role in helping the BJP acquire a seventh consecutive win in Gujarat.
A post-poll study conducted by the Lokniti-CSDS asked voters if they had benefitted from government welfare schemes. Close to seven in ten households said that they had bought cheap ration under the public distribution system (PDS). Two out of three voters reported getting free ration under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY).
PMGKAY attracts voters
The central government’s PMGKAY scheme, which provides 5 kg of free grains in addition to subsidised ration, remained the most popular scheme among all respondents, with four of five rural, lower incomes, SC, ST, and OBC voters each saying that they received the benefit.
First introduced during the peak of the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, the PMGKAY has been extended six times. Currently, in its seventh phase, the scheme was last extended on September 28 for a period of three months as Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh headed for elections. According to data made available by the Centre, 53% of the population in Gujarat is beneficiary of the initiative.
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In the aftermath of the pandemic, 55% voters said they received free medicines and subsidised treatment under the National Rural Health Mission. Of this, three-fourths of lower-income and two-thirds of ST respondents claimed to benefit from the policy.
Another popular scheme for the people of Gujarat was the Jan Dhan Yojana, which aims to enhance financial inclusion by making it easier to open bank accounts without the need for minimum balance or documents. As per the records of the Ministry of Finance, 1.73 crore people in Gujarat have opened bank accounts under the scheme. 52% of those surveyed said they had opened an account under the Jan Dhan Yojana. The largest beneficiaries of the scheme were the middle class (63%).
Other policies that connected with the people were the provision of free LPG cylinders (57%), money for construction of houses (40%) as well as direct cash transfers for farmers (47%). Ahead of the Gujarat poll announcement, the BJP government in the State had announced two free LPG cylinders under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY).
Two State-specific schemes which provide financial security to daughters — for their weddings and for their welfare — also benefitted one-third surveyed households.
The findings suggest that the BJP has lead among beneficiaries of some of the welfare schemes such as financial assistance for daughters, free ration, Kissan Samman Nidhi and Awas Yojna (Table 2). Not much difference in voting preference among beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of other schemes was observed.
The picture is different from the discourse perpetuated by the BJP in the lead-up to Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had cautioned against the ‘revdi culture’, calling it “dangerous for the development of the country”.
Despite proclamations against freebies, targeted delivery of social welfare schemes to particular communities has contributed to BJP’s massive victory in Gujarat.
(Mahashweta Jani is the State coordinator in Gujarat. Nishtha Gupta is a researcher at Lokniti-CSDS)
