Election season is here in Delhi, and for housewives like me, it feels like I’ve just stumbled into a grand game show where the contestants are politicians, and the grand prize is our vote!
Delhi goes to polls on February 5. Every day brings a new dazzling promise—free bus and metro rides, subsidised LPG, direct cash transfers—at this rate, I might soon start expecting a golden rolling pin and a VIP pass to grocery stores.
But, as experience has taught us, election promises are a lot like those “Buy One, Get One Free” supermarket deals—sounds fantastic until you realise the fine print says ‘conditions apply’ in invisible ink.
The political landscape this time around is less about governance and more about who can outdo the other in the Great Indian Giveaway. Roads? Sewage? Landfills? Ah, those can wait.
The real priority is ensuring that women feel financially pampered, with the illusion of empowerment wrapped in a glitzy package of monthly stipends and free transport. Because, obviously, nothing spells progress like the government handing out economic lollipops to housewives before the polls.
All three major contenders—the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress, and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)—are engaged in a thrilling game of who can woo the housewives best. Forget about pesky things like air pollution (who needs clean air when you can have a free LPG cylinder?) or urban infrastructure (sure, your colony floods every monsoon, but think of the 50% metro concession!).
In South West Delhi’s Bharat Vihar colony, Satvati Ghelot does the political math while rolling out chapatis.
“The AAP candidate has promised that from March we will get a financial benefit of Rs 2,100 against Rs 1,100 that we have been receiving till now. But the BJP promises Rs 2,500 and subsidised cooking gas cylinders and two free cylinders every year,” she said.
While an uncovered drain runs through her colony passing in front of all the houses in the area, that is not an issue, neither with the voter nor the contestant.
During the rainy season, this drain overflows and water enters into the houses. “But that’s just for a few days in a year. We have been managing it every year. But two free gas cylinders is a bigger relief,” adds Vimla Devi.
Now, Congress—bless their competitive spirit—is throwing in free ration kits. It’s like an auction, and we are the highest bidders!”
The manifestos of Delhi’s political parties read like a shopping festival flyer—exciting, extravagant, and utterly devoid of logic. BJP has added a cherry on top by offering Rs 21,000 for pregnant women, while AAP retaliated with a 50% concession for women in metro rides.
Delhi’s housewives remain hopeful yet sceptical, knowing well that once the votes are counted and the winners are ensconced in their cushy offices, these promises will disappear faster than their husbands when household chores are assigned
Feeling left out, Congress stepped in with free rations and tea leaves—because what’s financial empowerment without a strong cup of chai? BJP then decided to up the ante by slashing cooking gas prices to Rs 500 and throwing in two free cylinders for good measure. The schemes come wrapped in charmingly affectionate names—Pyari Didi Yojana, Ladli Behen Yojana, Ladki Behen Scheme—because nothing screams sincerity like a policy named after a generic female relative.
Power of Women Voters
It was Bihar’s Nitish Kumar who first realised the untapped electoral goldmine that is the Indian housewife. Back in 2016, he promised prohibition, giving wives across Bihar the assurance that their husbands would no longer stumble home after spending the entire household budget on liquor.
The plan worked, and since then, every political party in the country has been on a mission to outdo one another in this grand festival of charity.
Over the last decade, women voters have quietly emerged as power players in Indian elections. In Maharashtra, some constituencies even had more women voters than men. In states like Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and Delhi, every party has learnt the golden rule: Ignore men, promise the moon to women, and watch the votes pour in.
However, before women voters start celebrating their newfound political significance, experts warn that their ‘kingmaker’ status might be an illusion. India remains a deeply patriarchal society where, in many cases, a woman’s vote is still dictated by the male members of her household.
And let’s be honest—these so-called ‘women-centric’ freebies ultimately benefit the entire family. After all, a subsidised LPG cylinder is used by everyone, and free rations don’t exactly come with a ‘for women only’ label.
“In a democracy, welfare is a right. But what we are seeing is a shift from a welfare state to a charitable state,” observes Professor Hilal Ahmed of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies.
“Instead of strengthening healthcare, education, and employment opportunities, governments now prefer to hand out freebies as a short-term fix for inflation and unemployment.” And it’s not just about promises—fulfilling them is an entirely different challenge.
Take Maharashtra, for example. The government had pledged Rs 2,100 per month to women with an annual income of less than Rs 2.5 lakh. Less than a month into power, they realised it would cost Rs 460 billion to cover the 2.47 lakh beneficiaries. With the state exchequer already stretched, the government is now ‘reassessing’ the scheme—a political term for ‘quietly dropping it like a hot potato.’
The Election Commission of India had once tried to introduce financial accountability for poll promises, asking parties to explain how they planned to fund their grand giveaways. The idea was met with staunch resistance, and the proposal was buried faster than an inconvenient news story. A petition on the issue is still pending before the Supreme Court, but let’s not hold our breath.
Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality continues to be a crisis no one wants to address. With over 150 ‘bad air’ days each year, the city consistently ranks among the most polluted in the world. But hey, why worry about breathable air when you can have free tea leaves? “It’s disheartening that no party is talking about ‘Ease of Living,’” says election analyst Maj. Gen. (Retd) Anil Verma.
“Delhiites have simply resigned themselves to toxic air and crumbling infrastructure—because, for now, they’re too busy counting their promised cash handouts.”
And so, as election day approaches, Delhi’s housewives remain hopeful yet sceptical, knowing well that once the votes are counted and the winners are ensconced in their cushy offices, these promises will disappear faster than their husbands when household chores are assigned.
Until then, the political auction continues, and for once, housewives are the star bidders—whether they like it or not.