Freebies in a prosperous state

Promises of free cooking gas and job reservations in Karnataka show how political discourse even in a relatively rich state is unchanged

Elections for 224 seats in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly will be held today, and the results will be declared three days later. The last several weeks have seen an intense electoral battle between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the two main Opposition parties — the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular). The election manifestos of these parties and their campaign rhetoric indicate how the Karnataka Assembly elections herald the start of a nearly year-long period of hectic political activity in the country, with four more major state Assembly elections to be held in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and