DOLES AND TOLLS

Elections can bring on peculiar behavioural modifications even in the most fiscally prudent politician. Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, ruled by bitterly opposed parties like the Congress and BJP, could be mirror images of each other in how its chief ministers have rolled out what could count as lavish gift vouchers.

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Ashok Gehlot and Shivraj Singh Chouhan, both looking at a tough re-election campaign, have not been averse to erring deeply on the side of profligacy with welfare schemes—even though Gehlot, in the last budget of his third tenure, has managed to project a fiscal deficit of 3.98 per cent, under the mandated 4 per cent, while Shivraj is tempting fate at 4.56 per cent even ahead of his budget. Pinarayi Vijayan’s Left Front government in Kerala, meanwhile, is struggling to stave off criticism of saddling a rich state with poor public finances. The three case studies, over the next five pages, cover present events that leave many questions for the future. 

MADHYA PRADESH

FREEBIE SEASON

The monsoon is still one whole summer away, but it’s raining sops in Madhya Pradesh. That should not surprise you—look only at what will follow the post-monsoon season. An assembly election that’s frequently bundled with the set that’s called the semi-finals before the big one. And in February, it feels like harvest time already. Political parties are outdoing each other with promises that occupy the full spectrum from genuine welfare to outright freebies—with land to cash to houses, everything being on offer. A lot of the population is not complaining, since they are in line to be beneficiaries, even if the competitive populism is raising eyebrows among neutral economists and sinking hearts among the slender band of taxpayers.