BJP manifesto for 2022 Uttar Pradesh election released, a comparison with 2017 poll promises

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released its election manifesto for the 2022 Uttar Pradesh polls on Tuesday, hours before the campaign for the first of the seven-phase voting ended. Titled Lok Kalyan Sankalp Patra (vision document for public welfare), the BJP manifesto promises a long list of ‘freebies’ while trying to keep the core Hindutva voting bloc intact.

Among the BJP’s top promises are free electricity to farmers for irrigation and job and self-employment opportunities to at least one member of each family. It has also promised 10-year jail and Rs 1 lakh penalty to those found guilty under the law against what is called Love Jihad luring women or girls to marriage for religious conversion.