BJP manifesto may focus on jobs, schemes for women

DEHRADUN : The Bharatiya Janata Party is likely to announce its manifesto for the Uttarakhand assembly elections within the next two days, party leaders familiar with the matter said.

The party has taken suggestions from people from all the 70 assembly constituencies, including online inputs, to prepare the manifesto.

Uttarakhand is scheduled to go to polls on February 14. The results will be announced on March 10.

Special announcements regarding providing employment and schemes for women and youth are expected to be included in the manifesto.

This year’s manifesto is based on the theme of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas, party leaders added.

Union road and transport minister Nitin Gadkari is likely to be the chief guest at the launch event of the manifesto. He will be present along with chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami in this programme.

Party sources say that this time, the party can also release a manifesto specific for every assembly constituency.

The manifesto committee constituted under the chairmanship of former Union minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank received 51,279 suggestions from the assembly constituencies, while more than 27,000 public suggestions were received online. The party has received a total of more than 78,000 suggestions for the manifesto.

The Congress had released its manifesto on February 2, promising to reserve 40% jobs for women in the police department, jobs to 400,000 people, and capping the price of a cooking gas cylinder to ₹500.

Congress national general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra released the party manifesto, titled ‘Uttarakhand Swabhiman Pratigya Patra’, at a virtual rally that was live-streamed across all 70 constituencies. The manifesto promised to give priority to women in 40% government jobs and creation of a ‘tourism police’ force. The party also promised a 150% increase in the salary of anganwadi workers in the state.