Cleaning of Yamuna, mountains of garbage and heaps of freebies… 10 toughest challenges for BJP which is going to take over the power of Delhi

New Delhi: After the historic victory in Delhi, the biggest challenge for BJP now is to fulfill its huge election promises while balancing the financial condition of the state. BJP fought the Delhi elections on the issue of cleaning of Yamuna, roads, water, mountains of garbage and cleanliness and the unfulfilled promises of Aam Aadmi Party and Arvind Kejriwal. In its manifesto for Delhi elections, the saffron party had promised the people to fulfill the unfulfilled promises of Kejriwal and had also announced some freebies going ahead of AAP. Now that the people of Delhi have ended the 27-year exile of BJP, the party faces the challenge of fulfilling the promises made in its manifesto.

The major promises of the BJP include financial assistance of Rs 2,500 per month for poor women and senior citizens (up to Rs 3,000 for those above 70), Rs 21,000 for all pregnant women and free education from kindergarten to post-graduation for students coming from poor families. There is a huge contradiction between the budget required to fulfill these promises and the financial condition of Delhi. However, a relief for the BJP is that it also has a government at the Center. Therefore, it may not have to face a shortage of money to fulfill its promises in Delhi. Still, there are some promises which are not going to be so easy to fulfill despite the budget being available.

Delhi’s economic condition vs BJP’s promises

According to the data of the Delhi government, the estimated tax revenue (income from tax) of the state for 2024-25 is Rs 58,750 crore, while the total budget is Rs 76,000 crore. Delhi’s education budget is Rs 16,396 crore (22% of the total budget), followed by expenditure on housing, urban development, healthcare, transport and social welfare programmes and schemes. With more than two-thirds of the budget allocated for salaries, pensions and administrative work, Delhi’s finance department has already raised concerns about a potential deficit.

The Delhi government’s revenue from taxes and other sources is estimated to fall from Rs 64,142 crore to Rs 62,415 crore by the end of this fiscal. Looking at BJP’s election promises, the scheme of financial assistance of Rs 2,500 per month to women is expected to cost around Rs 11,000 crore annually. According to estimates, there are about 24.4 lakh senior citizens in Delhi. To give them a pension of Rs 2,500 per month (Rs 3,000 per month for those above 70 years of age), an additional Rs 4,100 crore will be required annually.

Cleaning of Yamuna is a big issue, cost is also high

Similarly, cleaning of Yamuna alone has cost around Rs 8,000 crore in the last few years and yet the river remains a drain in Delhi. An estimated Rs 10,200 crore is required to upgrade government hospitals in Delhi. Rs 2,700 crore will be required to complete the third phase and develop the fourth phase under the expansion of Delhi Metro. Keeping in mind the financial condition of Delhi and the size of the budget, the BJP state government will have to seek financial assistance from the central government for the above works. Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva has also said earlier that the central government is ready to provide financial help.

Virendra Sachdeva said, ‘The Center had earlier offered financial help to the Delhi government to implement initiatives like Ayushman Bharat Yojana, but AAP refused to give these benefits to the people of Delhi. Now that the BJP has won, we will arrange for funds to fulfill our promises, plug leakages and end corruption.’ It takes at least a month for the new government to finalize the budget for the next financial year. On this side, the new BJP government can present the Delhi budget for the financial year 2025-26 by the end of March. Only after the budget is presented will it be known what will be the roadmap of the BJP to fulfill its election promises.