Buck for ballot? Why a Nitish win won’t be a victory for freebies

Can elections be bought with cash handouts to voters? For over 50 years, my view has been ‘no’. Prime Minister Modi too has often dubbed freebies as ‘revadis’. Yet, the NDA govt in Bihar announced Rs 10,000 in cash to 1.4 crore female members of self-help groups in Bihar. Pensions were also raised to Rs 13,200 per year.

While RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav has countered this with a promise of transferring Rs 30,000 into the accounts of women annually for “long-term economic relief”, the NDA has already credited the money directly to bank accounts, eliminating intermediaries, leakages, and delays. The overwhelming majority of women one met on an election tour said they had received the cash, making it very different from the usual fancy promises that are soon forgotten.