Lok Sabha polls: Congress banks on Nari 'Shakti' in Karnataka

Shakti scheme allows women domiciled in Karnataka to travel for free on non-AC buses operating within the state.

With voting for 14 Lok Sabha seats in North Karnataka scheduled for May 7, the Congress party is placing its bets on women voters.

Elections for all 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka are being held in two phases, with South Karnataka having voted on April 26.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress party managed to win just one seat of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka amidst a 'Modi' wave. However, in this election, the Congress party is banking on its five poll guarantees to work their magic in the state.

This time election campaigns in Karnataka have been largely centered around Congress guarantees versus Modi guarantees. Janata Dal (Secular) leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy was forced to retract his statement after widespread criticism for his speech, where he stated that rural women have been led astray by Congress' guarantee schemes.

These guarantees include Shakti (free bus travel for women), Gruha Lakshmi (Rs 2,000 monthly aid to the female head of the family), Gruha Jyothi (200 units of free electricity/month), Anna Bhagya (10 kg of food grains), and Yuvanidhi (unemployment compensation). Among these guarantees, Congress is particularly focusing on Shakti and Gruha Lakshmi to attract women voters, especially in rural areas of the state.

Also, read: After five poll guarantees, Karnataka to hire private consultant to increase tax collection & plug leakages

Last year, a photograph of a woman named Ningavva Shiggadi bowing and touching the footboard of a bus with her forehead, after the rollout of the Shakti scheme, went viral. Ningavva, who took a bus from Dharwad to Savadatti in Belagavi district, expressed her joy at no longer needing to seek permission or money from her children for bus travel. In April, during the election campaign, first-year law student MA Jayashree offered a garland made from a free bus ticket to CM Siddaramaiah. Similarly, pictures of women purchasing mobile phones and refrigerators with the money they received through Gruha Lakshmi are also being circulated widely.

While the Rs 2,000 aid to women heads of families below the poverty line was distributed a few days before the April 26 polls, the BJP is closely monitoring if the government credits any money ahead of the May 7 second-phase polling which might influence the women voters.

According to Election Commission of India records, female turnout was slightly higher compared to males in the first phase of the LS polls on April 26. In the first phase (14 LS constituencies in south Karnataka), there were 1,438,585 registered female electors , of whom 1,020,796 voted (69.6 percent). In contrast, of 1,441,7530 male electors, 1,001,6921 cast their votes (69.4 percent).

Also, read:  Lok Sabha elections 2024: Karnataka records 69.2% polling; low turnout in Bengaluru

Guarantees will help: Minister

Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy told Moneycontrol that Shakti and Gruha Lakshmi are the most popular guarantees which will have a major impact on the LS polls.

"Among all guarantees, Shakti is the number 1 scheme. Every day, 60 lakh free rides are provided to women. So far, 202 crore trips have been undertaken by women passengers since the rollout on June 11, 2023." he said.

Also, read: Congress party's poll guarantees: A tightrope walk awaits new Karnataka government

Reddy said the Rs 2,000 monthly aid is helping poor families cope with high inflation. According to records, 1.4 crore beneficiaries are registered under Gruha Lakshmi, which was launched in August 2023, and the state government allocated Rs 28,608 crore in the year 2024-25 for the scheme.

Reddy said other guarantees are also helping poor people. "Under Gruha Jyothi, more than 1.6 crore beneficiaries have been enrolled for free electricity. Under the Anna Bhagya Scheme, 5 crore people are receiving Rs 170 per person per month so they can buy five kg of rice from the open market on their own."

Sandeep Shastri, political analyst, said guarantees will undoubtedly impact women voters. "At least among the poorer sections of society, I will not be surprised if guarantees have an impact, and that's why it's being spoken about so much in the Kalyana-Karnataka region (northern part of Karnataka), which is among the most backward regions of the state. But there are two critical points: whether the Congress will be able to translate it into votes and also how much it reached the people. And secondly, and most importantly, while people may acknowledge receiving support from the state, what they perceive as a state government guarantee, this election is a national election."

He said the Prajwal Revanna sex abuse case and the Hubballi murder case (Neha Hiremath, a 23-year-old student, was stabbed to death on a university campus by her former classmate, Fayaz Khandunayak) may also influence women voters in the state.

Also, read: Who is Prajwal Revanna, the grandson of ex-PM HD Deve Gowda at centre of ‘obscene videos’ row

"While the Prajwal Revanna case can negatively impact the BJP, in the Hubballi murder case, my sense is those who are supporting the party will already have been deciding to vote for the party. I don't know if it will bring more votes to the party right now" he said.

He said, "In many polling booths during Phase 1 LS elections in south Karnataka, women voters outnumbered men voters."

‘Mobility is freedom’

Women are utilising the Shakti scheme to commute to work and visit relatives, family members, religious sites, and tourist places. When they travel, they are not alone; they take their family members along, so the overall ridership of RTCs (Road Transport Corporations) is also increasing.

Also, read: Reversing the trend: Bengaluru's BMTC regains ridership with free bus travel for women

Tara Krishnaswamy, a women's rights activist, said: "The impact of Shakti and Gruha Lakshmi will be very significant in this election and will help Congress in the state. It's a lifesaver for people because mobility is freedom".

"If we provide mobility, we are setting people free, and women no longer depend on anyone, and they no longer depend on their budget to do basic things. If you combine mobility with basic income, it empowers women. For instance, if you want to buy an extra pair of shoes or replace something in the kitchen that's not functioning, they can travel on a bus for free (Shakti) and repair it at a cost received from Gruha Lakshmi money." she said.

"Women have benefited; we can see more women travelling, but there are some difficulties with the scheme, with migrant workers excluded since they don't have ID cards, " said Shaheen Shasa, co-founder of Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike (BBPV).

Also, read: Free bus travel for women: Karnataka needs to quickly add buses to cater to spike in demand

BBPV was among the first to demand free bus travel for women in Bengaluru. "After Delhi, Tamil Nadu, and Punjab implemented free bus travel for women, we too demanded it be implemented here. In 2022, we conducted a public hearing seeking budgetary support, and later it was included in the Congress manifesto. We are happy that women are getting benefits, but the bigger problem is we don't have enough buses. We need more buses and routes so more women can access buses. For instance, they can save Rs 1000 a month from monthly bus passes and use the money to purchase more nutritious food at home or for education expenses and other expenses."

The minister said: "I've travelled across the state, and women are happy since they can visit temples, tourist places, and other locations. Earlier, women, especially those living in cities like Bengaluru, used to spend a minimum of Rs 1,000 monthly on bus fares, but now they can travel for free". His daughter, Sowmya Reddy, is the Congress candidate from Bengaluru South against BJP leader Tejasvi Surya

Reddy, who also holds the religious endowments portfolio, said that revenue and footfalls of temples operating under the Muzrai department as well as the local economy in temple towns like Dharmasthala, Kukke Subramanya, Kollur Mookambika, and other places have increased due to the Shakti scheme.

The Shakti scheme allows women domiciled in Karnataka to travel for free on non-premium buses operating within the state. While RTCs issue zero tickets to women passengers, the government reimburses them every month. Reddy said the government reimbursed Rs 1,669.4 crore for the Shakti scheme while RTCs issued tickets amounting to over Rs 2,671 crore from June 2023 to November 2023. The scheme is expected to incur an annual cost of around Rs 4,400 crore to the state exchequer.

However, the scheme has its downsides. Buses are overcrowded, waiting times have increased, complaints of rude behavior by crew, cases of conductors issuing fake Shakti tickets, and instances of buses not halting at designated stops. Private bus operators and auto-rickshaw drivers are also complaining that the Shakti scheme has affected their earnings. The transport department has said that they are taking steps to increase fleet strength.

Also, read: Bengaluru to get 2,211 buses by March 2024, govt sets recruitment conditions

No impact on polls: BJP

BJP believes that guarantees will have no impact on LS polls. Bengaluru South BJP candidate Tejasvi Surya said: "People realise that this is a national election, where they are voting to choose the country's Prime Minister and to decide on national issues. Congress guarantees are very state-specific and are not relevant to Parliament elections. People are looking at electing the country's leader. These guarantees are pushing the state to bankruptcy".

BJP Bengaluru Rural candidate Dr CN Manjunath said: "The way people perceive Lok Sabha elections and assembly elections is entirely different. In many states and constituencies, a non-NDA party that has won the assembly election has lost the Parliamentary election. I think the perception of people regarding Lok Sabha elections is completely different.

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