Freebies versus welfarism takes centre stage in 2023

The year 2023 was punctuated by a slew of political developments from nine states going for Assembly polls and the formation of the INDIA bloc to the inauguration of a new Parliament building, Supreme Court’s verdict on Article 370 abrogation and the Congress’ winning streak in the south while the BJP consolidating its position in the Hindi heartland.

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Major political parties settled the raging freebies versus welfarism debate, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi sparked with his revdi’ remark midway through the previous year. The Bharatiya Janata Party BJP) and the Congress pursued competitive welfarism with a vengeance in the last 12 months, promising the electorate a raft of welfare schemes during poll campaigns in the nine states.

Welfarism and the outreach of political parties to women dominated the discourse. In 2023, both the BJP and the Congress wooed women as a distinct vote bank like never before. The Congress’ pro-women guarantees’ garnered support from female voters than during the Karnataka polls in April-May. In his Independence Day address, the prime minister indicated a shift. He addressed the people as his 4 parivarjan”, or family memG bers, and spoke of women-led development and his government's aim of creating two S crore Lakhpati Didis’. A 4 month later, in September, he led the way in getting a special session of Parliament to pass the Women’s Reservation Bill. By December, the BJP reaped the rewards by registering victories in the three Hindi heartland states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.