Supreme Court seeks response from Center and EC on free gift promise of political parties in elections

The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Center and the Election Commission on a PIL against the promise or distribution of free gifts from public funds ahead of elections. The petitioner believes that this shakes the roots of a free and fair election and disturbs the purity of the election process.

It has been said in the petition that promises made by political parties to woo and impress voters in their favor amount to bribery and undue influence. The petition states that the Aam Aadmi Party has promised Rs 1,000 per month to every woman aged 18 years and above, and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has promised Rs 2,000 per month to woo each woman, And the Congress has also promised Rs 2,000 per month to every housewife and 8 gas cylinders in a year.

The petition states that Punjab needs Rs 12,000 crore per month to fulfill political promises if AAP comes to power, Rs 25,000 crore if SAD comes to power and Rs 30,000 crore if Congress comes to power. The petitioner said that the state's GST collection is only Rs 1,400 crore.

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