The Uttar Pradesh assembly elections will be held in seven phases between February 10 to March 7, 2022. The counting of votes will be held on March 10.
The Election Commission had recently announced the poll schedule in the state. The state will go to polls on February 10, February 14, February 20, February 23, February 27, March 3 and March 7.
With elections just around the corner, political parties are leaving no stone unturned to woo the voters. From free electricity to waiver of farmers loans, here's a look at manifestos of political parties:
Congress
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra launched the party's manifesto 'Unnati Vidhan Jan Ghoshna Patra-2022' for Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.
According to the Congress manifesto, students from SC and ST communities will be provided free education from kindergarten level to postgraduation. Reservation in the promotion will be given to government employees belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The Kol community will be given tribal tribe status. Further, the salary of cooks in schools will be increased to Rs 5,000.
The manifesto promised a compensation of Rs 50 lakhs for COVID warriors who lost their lives in the pandemic. Adhoc teachers and Shiksha Mitras will be regularized on the basis of experience and rules.
The manifesto said financial assistance of Rs 25,000 will be provided to the families affected by the COVID epidemic.
The party in its manifesto promised 20 lakh government jobs. It said the backlog of 12 lakhs vacancies will be filled in the public sector including police, healthcare and education. Apart from this, eight lakh more jobs will be given. The party promised to back small enterprises and declare them as clusters.
BJP
The BJP assured free electricity for irrigation, a job for every household and free travel for women over 60 in its Uttar Pradesh election manifesto, which also promised a minimum 10-year sentence in cases of what it describes as "love jihad".
The announcements were made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the release of the 'Lok Kalyan Sankalp Patra 2022', just two days before the first phase of polling for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly.
Reaching out to farmers, the party promised free electricity for irrigation, speedier payment for sugarcane and strengthening the minimum support price (MSP) system for wheat and rice.
If farmers are not paid for their sugarcane within 14 days, the sugar mills will have to shell out the interest on the amount due, the ruling party's manifesto promised.
It also announced that work on the establishment of an anti-terrorist commando centre in Deoband would be completed in the next five years. Similar centres would come up in Meerut, Rampur, Azamgarh, Kanpur and Bahraich.
The manifesto promised that the drive against criminals and mafias would continue. Also, a cyber helpdesk would be set up in every police station and separate barracks would be built for male and female police personnel.
The Lok Kalyan Sankalp Patra promised that if the BJP returns to power in Uttar Pradesh then the state's anti-conversion law would be amended bringing in a minimum imprisonment of 10 years and a fine of Rs 1 lakh.
The current version of the law against religious conversion effected for marriage or through misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or other allegedly fraudulent means, which the party describes as 'love jihad', invites a penalty of up to 10 years in jail.
At the release of the manifesto, Shah, while answering Akhilesh Yadav's taunts that BJP did not fulfil any of its previous poll promises, said, "The party has fulfilled over 92 per cent of 212 promises made in its 2017 manifesto." In the health sector, the BJP promised to build one well-equipped government hospital in every district and announced that Uttar Pradesh would be made tuberculosis-free by 2025.
Free scooty would be provided to meritorious girl students under Rani Laxmibai Yojana to make them self-reliant. Under the Swami Vivekanand Yuva Shashaktikaran Yojana, two crore tablets and smartphones will be distributed.
The BJP also promised to complete the General Bipin Rawat Defence Industrial Corridor in Bundelkhand in a record time.
Two LPG cylinders would be provided free of cost to every beneficiary of PM Ujjwala Yojna during Holi and Diwali festivals while mission pink toilet would be launched at Rs 1,000 crore to build toilets for women in public places.
For youths, the saffron party vision document promised over 3 crore jobs or self-employment opportunities in the next five years. It said that at least one job or self-employment opportunity would be provided to every household.
The manifesto stated that under the Major Dhyanchand mission, sports infrastructure would be built or modernized in every government school and college besides while financial assistance would be given to sportspersons.
Uttar Pradesh would target to attract at Rs 10 lakh crore investment in the next five years and industrial regions would be modernized under Atal Infrastructure Mission, the 'Sankalp Patra stated.
Also, 'Babuji Kalyan Singh Gram Unnat Yojna' would be launched for the integrated development of every village.
In furtherance of the BJP's vision of 'sabka saath sabka vikas', 'Maa Annapurna canteens' would be established across the state to provide food to the poor at a subsidized rate.
The party also promised to set up Ramayan University in Ayodhya for research on subjects related to Lord Ram and other religious matters.
Lata Mangeshkar Performing Arts Academy would be set up to popularize folk dance, music and drama.
Making a comparison between the BJP government since 2017 and those before it, the manifesto said the Yogi Adityanath government waived loans of farmers to the tune of Rs 36.86 crore but that was not done by the previous dispensations.
Samajwadi Party
The Samajwadi Party released its poll manifesto, promising an 'Urban Employment Guarantee Act' on the lines of MNREGA and 33 per cent reservation for women in government jobs, besides a slew of benefits to farmers.
The party released its manifesto -- Samajwadi Vachan Patra -- for the coming assembly elections, shortly after the BJP released its own.
The SP manifesto also promised to provide regular government jobs to 'Shiksha Mitras' within three years and provide employment to one crore people in the MSME sector.
Speaking on the occasion, the SP president Akhilesh Yadav said the "manifesto is aimed at taking Uttar Pradesh on the path of prosperity, development and progress in the coming times".
"I remember that in the year 2012, when the SP released its election manifesto, it was fully implemented. Many things which were not included in the manifesto were also implemented by the SP government," he said, stressing his party's commitment to working on the promises made.
Citing the key promises made for farmers, the SP chief said, "Minimum support price will be provided to all crops and payment to sugarcane farmers will be ensured within 15 days. For this, farmers' corpus fund will be created if needed."
The manifesto also promised to make all farmers debt-free by 2025 and enact a debt relief law for the benefit of extremely poor farmers.
The freebies that the SP promised for all small and marginal farmers with less than two acres of land included two bags of DAP and five bags of urea, electricity for irrigation, interest-free loan, insurance and pension besides assistance of Rs 25 lakh to the kin of those "martyred" during the farmers' movement.
The SP manifesto also promised to build a farmer memorial in the memory of "martyred farmers" and set up "Kisan Bazars" in all districts.
The SP's promises of freebies also included two LPG cylinders every year to BPL families, one litre of petrol to all two-wheeler owners, and three litres of petrol and six kg of CNG per month to auto-rickshaw drivers.
The SP chief said an 'Urban Employment Guarantee Act' will be brought on the lines of MNREGA and the SP government will review and revive the IT sector so that 22 lakh people can be given employment.
The government will revive and encourage the MSME sector and transform it into an engine of growth so that one crore jobs can be created in the state by the year 2027, he said.
On the formation of the SP government, appointments will be made on all the vacant posts in the state's education system within a year and the short term and contractual recruitment system will be discontinued, he added.
A special drive will be launched for the reinstatement of 'Shiksha Mitras' and doubling their training programme, he said, adding the remuneration of 'Shiksha Mitras' will be increased and they will be given regular government jobs within three years.
Reiterating his earlier promise of 300 units of free electricity, Yadav added that on being voted to power, his government would ensure a 24-hour power supply in the entire state.
The old pension scheme of government employees too will be restored after SP forms its government in the state, he added.
His government will focus on English education under the state education policy and education will be provided in local languages to strengthen cultural identity, he said, adding Uttar Pradesh will be made a 100 per cent literate state by the year 2027.
Referring to the promises made for women empowerment, Akhilesh said women will be given 33 per cent reservation in government jobs under which all sections of the general, economically weaker sections and women from scheduled castes and tribes will be included.
Women power line 1090 will be strengthened again with the facility of filing a case through email and WhatsApp.
He also promised free education to girls from KG to masters level and revive the Kanya Vidya Dhan Yojana under which girls after will be given a lump sum amount of Rs 36,000 passing class 12.
He also promised to restart the "Samajwadi Pension Yojana" under which the aged, needy and women living below the poverty line would get a pension of Rs 18,000 per year and said the benefit of this scheme would reach one crore poor families.
He promised to set up "Samajwadi grocery stores" for poor workers, masons and homeless to get ration and other necessities at subsidised rates and start "Samajwadi Canteen" with the provision of "Samajwadi Thali" at Rs 10 to eradicate the problem of hunger.
The SP chief also promised to set up "Dial 1890 Mazdoor Power Line" to solve the problems of migrant workers and start an annual pension of Rs 18,000 for artisans, labourers and unorganized sector workers.
To maintain law and order in the state, the SP chief promised to instal CCTV cameras and undertake drone surveillance in all villages and towns within a year and said all police stations and tehsils will be made corruption-free.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)
The Aam Aadmi Party released its manifesto for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections promising free bus service for women, 300 units of free electricity and round-the-clock power supply in the state. The manifesto is named ‘Kejriwal Guarantee Card'.
The party has promised free bus services for women across the state, 300 units of free electricity and round-the-clock availability of power. It also promised to bring a law to guarantee minimum support price (MSP) for farmers' produce.
Pending payments of sugarcane farmers and low support price has been an issue in the western parts of the state. The AAP has also promised compensation at a rate of ₹ 50,000 per hectare in case of loss of produce of farmers due to adverse weather conditions like drought or floods.
The party promised 10 lakh government jobs, recruitment of 97,000 teachers and guaranteed 80 percent reservation for local youths in state government jobs. For government employees, it promised to reinstate the old pension scheme and resolve the issues of over 45,000 constables of Prantiya Raksha Dal (PRD), a voluntary force. The AAP also promised to provide chambers for lawyers and life insurance of up to 10 Lakh.
Azad Samaj Party (Kanshiram)
The Azad Samaj Party (Kanshiram) launched its manifesto for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly Polls, announcing free healthcare and education for all, fertilizer and seeds to farmers and waiver on all farm loans. The manifesto was shared on social media by party president Chandra Shekhar Aazad.
If voted to power in UP, the ASP (K) promised to fix a minimum support price (MSP) for all crops and pay sugarcane farmers within 10 days. Keeping in mind the inflation, it said all tolls would be made free for commuters.
The party said the Muslim Waqf will be freed of mafia and government control and the benefits would be used for uplifting the community. After clearing encroachment on Waqf properties, schools and universities would be built on them, it added.
The ASP (K) also promised to bring in an anti-mob lynching law under an independent panel of retired judges.
The one-year-old political outfit promised to create 80 lakh jobs in the state. It also resolved to implement reservation in contractual government jobs for Class C and D and regularising jobs after five years of work.
The ASP (K) has also promised to re-start all pension schemes. “All types of agricultural loans will be waived, fertilizers and seeds will be given free to all the farmers. A 50 per cent subsidy on the purchase of equipment used in agriculture will also be given and agricultural markets will be formed in every village within 30 days of the formation of the government,” the manifesto read.
(With inputs from Agencies)
