Nandini Milk To BPL Families, Uniform Civil Code Among BJP's Poll Promises — Nadda Releases Manifesto

JP Nadda released BJP's manifesto for Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday released its party vision document or the poll manifesto for the May 10 Karnataka elections. The manifesto was released by party president JP Nadda in the presence of Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai and former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa. Among the poll promises include implementation of Uniform Civil Code in Karnataka and to improve "ease of living" of apartment dwellers by constituting the Karnataka Residents’ Welfare Consultative Committee to reform the Karnataka Apartment Ownership Act, 1972 and to modernise the grievance redressal mechanism.

The party also promised to provide three free cooking gas cylinders to all the families below poverty line (BPL), one each during the months of Yugadi, Ganesh Chaturthi and Deepavali. It will also launch ‘Poshana’ scheme through which every BPL household will be provided with half-litre Nandini milk every day and five kilograms of Shri Anna - siri dhanya through monthly ration kits.

The 224-member Karnataka Assembly will undergo polls on May 10 and the votes will be counted on May 13. A total of 3,632 candidates are in the fray with 707 from incumbent BJP and 651 from Congress while 1,720 candidates will contest as Independent. 

According to the ABP-CVoter Opinion Poll, Congress seems ahead in the race to form the next government in Karnataka with a projected seat range between 107 to 119 while BJP is expected to get seats somewhere between 74 and 86 and Janata Dal (Secular) between 23 and 35 seats. 

At around 40 per cent, Congress is expected to bag the most vote percentage with BJP following at 40 per cent and JD(S) at 17 per cent, and others at 8 per cent. 

On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended three poll rallies in the state, regarded by BJP as its "gateway to the South", in the districts of Kolar, Channapattna, and Belur. He is slated to hold up to 12 to 15 rallies around the state over the next seven days, with three rallies in each visit. 

The Congress, looking to come back to power, made several promises on Sunday including for women primarily the Anganwadi, Asha, and other women workers. 

Addressing a poll rally, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi said that if Congress wins the assembly elections, the honorarium for women working in Anganwadi will be increased to Rs 15,000 per month while for Mini Anganwadi workers, it would be enhanced to Rs 10,000 per month. For Asha workers, she said the monthly payments would be fixed at Rs 8,000 per month and Rs 5,000 per month for women working in the mid-day meal programme.