Pre-poll splurge: Fiscal recklessness a recipe for disaster

RULING parties of different hues have thrown state coffers wide open in a desperate bid to retain power. State governments have disbursed a whopping Rs 67,928 crore for populist welfare schemes in the run-up to eight major Assembly elections during the past two years. Maharashtra and Bihar, both ruled by the BJP-led NDA, are the top offenders. The Mahayuti government in Maharashtra spent Rs 23,300 crore under schemes like the women-centric Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana ahead of the November 2024 polls. The ploy worked, with female voters in particular tilting the scales in the Mahayuti’s favour.

The ruling alliance is hoping for a similar outcome in Bihar, where the government led by Nitish Kumar has distributed Rs 19,333 crore. This figure is as high as one-third of the poverty-ridden state’s own tax revenue. Nitish, who is going all out to counter anti-incumbency after having been at the helm for two decades, seems to have no qualms about making the exchequer bleed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, once a bitter critic of revdi culture, himself launched Bihar’s Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana worth Rs 7,500 crore — days before the Model Code of Conduct came into force.

The poll-eve largesse gives an unfair advantage to the parties in power as they have government funds at their disposal. The absence of a level playing field runs counter to the democratic principle of free and fair elections. The post-poll impact of fiscal recklessness is highlighted by the bumpy progress of the Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana. In reply to an RTI plea, the Maharashtra government has revealed that over 12,000 men were granted benefits under this flagship scheme for women. The political compulsion to keep it running despite financial constraints and fraud is taking a toll on governance. This is a bitter lesson for governments in other states which are spending today as if there is no tomorrow. The Election Commission should not overlook these blatant attempts to bribe voters.