Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have trained all guns for the upcoming Delhi polls in 2025. Freebies are just one of them. Today, AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal has unveiled five pre-poll guarantees aimed at benefiting the city’s auto-rickshaw drivers. These promises encompass life and accident insurance, financial assistance for daughters’ marriages, uniform allowances, educational support for children, and the revival of the “Ask App.”
Kejriwal detailed these commitments in a post on X (formerly Twitter), stating:
Insurance Coverage: “Life insurance up to Rs 10 lakh and accident insurance up to Rs five lakh for each driver.”
Marriage Assistance: “Rs one lakh assistance for daughter’s marriage.”
Uniform Allowance: “Rs 2,500 twice a year for uniform.”
Educational Support: The government will bear the cost of coaching for children of auto-rickshaw drivers to prepare for competitive exams.
Technology Initiative: The “Ask App” will be restarted to facilitate better communication and services.
Emphasising his longstanding support for the auto-rickshaw community, Kejriwal remarked, “We stood with them before and will continue to stand with them in the future too.”
Addressing the public, he elaborated on the guarantees:
“I am announcing five things for auto drivers today which will be implemented when we come to power in Delhi again in February. First, we will give Rs one lakh on the wedding of the daughter of an auto-driver. Rs 2,500 each will be given on Diwali and Holi to auto drivers to get their uniforms made. We will give Rs 10 lakh life insurance and Rs 5 lakh accident insurance to each auto-driver. The government will give fees for competitive exam studies of children of auto drivers.”
Demonstrating his connection with the community, the AAP National Convenor visited Kondali and had lunch at the residence of an auto-driver. Reflecting on the party’s early days, Kejriwal shared a photo of himself and former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia pasting the party’s poster on an auto-rickshaw, stating, “This is a very old picture. When we had just started the party. Manish and I used to paste posters on the back of every auto. Since then, auto drivers have always supported us.”
In related developments, AAP released its second list of candidates for the forthcoming assembly elections. Notably, Manish Sisodia’s constituency has been changed from Patparganj to Jangpura, with Awadh Ojha now contesting from Patparganj.
Additionally, the AAP women’s wing is organizing small-scale meetings across all 70 constituencies to engage directly with women and highlight the welfare schemes provided by the AAP-led Delhi government.
Also read: TMC Leader Kalyan Banerjee Chides Rahul Gandhi, Says He Should Let Mamata Lead I.N.D.I.A.
The Delhi Assembly elections are anticipated to be held in early 2025. In the 2020 assembly elections, AAP secured 62 out of 70 seats, while the BJP won eight seats.
