Sat Jan 25 11:46:20 UTC 2025: **BJP Unveils Sweeping Promises in Delhi Election Manifesto**

NEW DELHI — Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched the BJP’s third and final manifesto for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections on Saturday, outlining a range of ambitious promises aimed at securing victory for the party. The manifesto focuses heavily on welfare schemes and infrastructure development.

Key pledges include granting ownership rights to residents of unauthorized colonies established since 1947, including those in Rajendra Nagar, Lajpat Nagar, and Kingsway Camp. The party also committed to reopening approximately 13,000 sealed shops within six months via a newly established judicial authority.

Significant welfare initiatives were also announced. These include a new Workers Welfare Board providing life and accident insurance coverage, financial assistance for textile workers, and the creation of 50,000 government jobs and 20 lakh self-employment opportunities. Further, the party promised a substantial investment of ₹20,000 crore in an integrated public transport network, converting 13,000 buses to electric vehicles.

Other key promises encompass:

* **Enhanced social security:** Increased pensions for senior citizens and widows/destitute women, free treatment up to ₹10 lakh under Ayushman Bharat, and provision of six nutrition kits and ₹12,000 financial assistance for every pregnant woman. Free LPG cylinders on Holi and Diwali, and Atal Canteens offering nutritious meals for ₹5 in JJ Clusters were also promised.
* **Infrastructure development:** A “Mahabharata Corridor” in collaboration with Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, and the development of the Yamuna Riverfront, modeled on the Sabarmati Riverfront. Complete elimination of manual scavenging.
* **Targeted support:** Financial aid to street vendors through a doubled PM Swanidhi scheme, six months of paid maternity leave for mothers, and a ₹1,000 monthly stipend for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students.

The Delhi Assembly elections are scheduled for February 5th, with vote counting on February 8th. The election is expected to be a three-way contest between the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), BJP, and Congress. In the 2020 elections, AAP won a landslide victory with 62 out of 70 seats, while the BJP secured eight. Congress failed to win any seats.

Read More