New Delhi: With polling in high-stake Assembly elections just three days away, finance minister Arun Jaitley reached out to farmers, the backward classes and small traders in a big way through his Union Budget.
After the plight of debt-ridden farmers worsening due to the note ban, saffron spin doctors sensed that the party was losing its grip over rural India.
The BJP has often been called a “traders' party” as it has traditionally enjoyed the support of small businessmen. Besides being saffron sympathisers, this segment forms a major chunk of RSS cadre and leaders.
In Uttar Pradesh, both Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party-Congress combination had begun to woo the traders. In social media, BSP has been consistently highlighting the problems being faced by small businesses beca-use of demonetisation.
To counter that, Mr Jaitley has reduced income tax of companies whose annual turnover is below '50 crore by 5 per cent. The BJP’s “historic” Lok Sabha victory was in some way scripted by the middle class. The exodus of the middle class vote bank from the BJP began with Assem-bly elections in Delhi.
Reeling under the demonetisation blow, the middle class was waiting for the Budget with many expectations. The finance minister has provided some relief. He has proposed to halve the income tax, down to five per cent, for those earning between Rs 2,50,000 and Rs 5,00,000 per annum. According to the finance minister, this step “will provide relief to over two crore tax payers.”
In UP’s multi-corner contest, a major battle is raging to capture the Dalit vote bank. The BJP’s attempt to put a pro-dalit face took a hit following attacks on the community by cow vigilantes and controversy surrounding the death of Hyderabad PhD student Rohith Vermula.
In UP, the BJP has been targeting the non-Yadav and non-Jatav backward vote banks. The SAD-BJP combination in Punjab could possibly lose the elections, and so a victory in UP for saffronites is crucial.
