New Delhi: Voters have "a right to know from where (the money for) freebies (will) come", the Election Commission said Monday morning as it announced dates for the Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram Assembly elections. The final round of polls for the year begin in Mizoram on November 7 and end in Telangana on November 30. Results are due December 3.
"Announcement of freebies always have 'tadka' of populism'... the public has a right to know from where (the money for) freebies (will) come," Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said.
Mr Kumar also said that nearly 1,000 checkpoints had been set up along state borders to check the flow of liquor, cash and drugs. "There will be zero tolerance for use of money power and there will be strict vigil over suspicious online cash transfers...," he told reporters this morning.
The CEC also reminded all parties to be fiscally prudent when making campaign promises.
The reference to freebies - a hugely popular but contentious pre-poll practice in the Indian political landscape - comes three days after the Supreme Court issued notices to the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh and its Rajasthan counterpart, as well as the centre and the poll panel, asking for guidelines to stop political parties from distributing cash or other items in exchange for votes.
The court remarked: "Before elections, all kinds of promises are made... we cannot control this."
In August last year the then Chief Justice, NV Ramana, warned political parties "freebies may create a situation wherein the state cannot provide basic amenities due to lack of funds..."
READ | Promising Freebies During Polls "Serious Economic Issue": Supreme Court
Two months later the Election Commission wrote to parties to provide voters with information to assess the financial viability of their promises, noting these had "far-reaching implications".
READ | Inform Voters How Promises Will Be Funded: Poll Panel To Political Parties
Cut to 2023 and last week the top court was hearing a petition questioning pre-poll giveaways by states already facing massive levels of debt, and alleged that it amounted to "frittering away (of) taxpayers' money". The petition alleged that these practices amounted to "bribing a voter".
The petitioner presented data from the Reserve Bank of India on debts carried by the BJP government and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan Madhya Pradesh and the Congress' Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan; this was Rs 3.78 lakh crore and Rs 5.37 lakh crore as of March 31.
The focus on Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan comes after the former state launched the Ladli Behna Yojana in June, which promises Rs 1,000 per month for all married women, including those who are divorced or widowed. This amount will be raised to Rs 3,000. Similarly, earlier this year Rajasthan claimed it would give free smartphones, and electricity and LPG subsidies, to women voters.
There are approximately 2.6 crore women in Madhya Pradesh, and the state's BJP government has reportedly set aside a massive Rs 16,000 crore to fund freebies for this crucial vote bank.
READ | Freebies, Women Voters, Hindutva Focus For Parties In Madhya Pradesh Polls
The Aam Aadmi Party is also looking to make a mark in Madhya Pradesh and, as it has elsewhere, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's outfit has vowed free education, medical care and electricity.
The battle for women's votes in Madhya Pradesh erupted after Election Commission data indicated they outnumber male voters in 18 of the state's 230 Assembly seats.
READ |Amid BJP-Congress Madhya Pradesh "Freebie" Contest, PM Modi's Warning
The 'freebie vs freebie' squabble in Madhya Pradesh harks back to last year, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's swipe against 'revdi' culture triggered a furious row on the subject.