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What dream merchants are selling Dilliwalahs this election

February 04, 2015 08:40 IST



The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday unveiled its vision document for the Delhi assembly elections. The Congress, too, released the second part of its manifesto. The first part was released last week. The Aam Aadmi Party had released its 70-point plan for Delhi on Saturday.

All three parties have showcased their achievements and made a slew of promises.

BJP’s Vision Document AAP Manifesto Congress Manifesto
  • "Significant" reduction in power tariff by means of competition amongst power companies
  • Subsidized power to BPL and poor families
  • Water rates to be rationalized
  • "Infamous" Bus Rapid Transit to be scrapped
  • Make Delhi wi-fi enabled cyber city
  • Monorail
  • Tram line in Chandni Chowk
  • Redevelop/beautify Jhandewalan temple complex
  • Price stabilization fund to check inflation
  • Women security force under CM’s office, more CCTV cameras
  • Green area to be increased from 20 to 35 per cent by 2020
  • Low cost housing
  • Regularisation of unauthorized colonies
  • Pucca houses for jhuggi dwellers
  • Pension for elderly to increased from 1500 to 2000
  • Compulsory health insurance for all Delhi residents
  • 25 essential drugs free
  • 15 bed hospitals with ambulance every five kms
  • Delhi colleges to have 85% reservation for students from Delhi schools or 4% relief in cutoff marks
  • Promote Punjabi
  • New medical college with 250 seats
  • Amend land reforms act
  • Lift ban on tube-wells in rural areas
  • One lakh dwelling units for middle income groups
  • 50% reduction in power tariff
  • No FDI in retail
  • Lowest VAT in India
  • "Pro-farmer land reform"
  • Free Wi-Fi across Delhi
  • Installing 10-15 lakh CCTV cameras, home guards for safety of women,
  • Making water a legal right, 20,000 litres free water to poor household per month
  • Two lakh toilets, 500 new government schools, 20 new degree colleges, and 30,000 more beds in government hospitals
  • To create eight lakh jobs, make Delhi a "start up hub".
  • Delhi Lokpal Bill, a Swaraj Bill to devolve power to mohalla level
  • Citizens Local Area Development (CLAD) fund
  • Second language status to Urdu and Punjabi, encourage research/study Sanskrit.
  • 200 acres land for affordable housing
  • Regularisation of unauthorized colonies
  • Homes for slum dwellers
  • Double-decker flyovers
  • New fast metro trains, monorails
  • Rs one crore to family of martyrs
  • Three new medical colleges
  • 25000 flats under EWS scheme
  • Home Guards, CCTV for women safety
  • Urdu and Punjabi teachers for schools
  • Slum dwellers given right to shelter
  • Four govt run vegetables shops in each assembly to check inflation
  • Increase buses from 5,500 to 11,000
  • Regularization of unauthorised colonies
  • Concessional Metro pass for students
  • More power companies to encourage competition
  • Power tariff from 0-200 units to be Rs 1.50 per unit, 50 per cent discount on tariff above that slab
  • Review 10% per annum increase in water charges
  • To exempt all pending sewer and water bills
  • New industrial park
  • Seven kg wheat, one kg rice per BPL family
  • Enhance green cover to 25 per cent


The BJP has talked about how the National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre has taken several measures since May 2014 for Delhi’s development. A BJP government in Delhi will mean more cooperation and less confrontation not just with the Union government but also the neighbouring governments, like BJP-ruled Haryana, it said.

The Congress manifesto has much on its achievements in its 15-year rule in Delhi, while the AAP had listed its achievements during its 49-day rule in 2014.

The BJP was silent on the issue of statehood for Delhi, while its manifesto for the 2013 polls had stated the party will struggle for full statehood. The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance was at the Centre then.

The Congress manifesto, however, has promised to “renew” its demand for full statehood, something it didn’t talk often during the 2008 and 2013 assembly polls when it was a Congress-led government at the Centre. Key powers related to public order, police and land are out of the Delhi government’s ambit.

All three manifestos talk about regularising Delhi’s unauthorised colonies, home to nearly four million people, approximately a fourth of its 13 million voters. All three have also promised housing to slum dwellers and increasing the pension to the elderly reducing power tariff and so on.

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