The Modi government's sixth and final budget is mainly targeted at two sections – the tax payers and the farmers.
A flurry of sops by the Modi government in its pre-election budget, including a bonanza for individual tax payers by raising ceiling of taxable income to Rs 5 lakh, have been unveiled with an eye on Lok Sabha polls.
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The government opted to shower benefits to the tune of Rs 13,800 crore to income tax payers as any such move will have a goodwill effect on the psyche of the electorate.
But by the finance minister's own admission, the number of key beneficiaries, or those who will get out of the tax bracket, is three crore.
The electorate, as per Election Commission figures of 2014, when last Lok Sabha polls were held, is roughly 81 crore.
So the three crore direct beneficiaries are spread across 543 constituencies, which hardly makes this chunk a vote bank.
But the line of thinking is that there are more beneficiaries considering that those with taxable income in all tax brackets will benefit from the rise in income tax ceiling.
So the households of the tax payers will also have reasons to cheer which, as per political funda, will generate a goodwill buzz in favour of the ruling dispensation.
This is why pre-election budgets always would have some tax sops.
Our political masters have always considered the tax payers as creators of buzz.
Often, the media, influencers and think tanks too sort of act as patrons of the salaried.
The flip side is that for the benefit of the tax ceiling hike will accrue to the salaried from April pay only.
There is a probability that elections will be over by that time.
Also the new dispensation which would unveil a full budget after polls would have umpteen avenues to impose more taxes, though no political party would dare to tinker with a tax relief to individuals.
The Election Commission has not announced the poll dates but a new government should take charge by May.
There is little time for the benefits to accrue to farmers through the sops worth Rs 75,000 crore announced in the Union budget.
So the government would go all out to create a buzz about the goodwill factor that has been unleashed.
This would be conveyed via massive campaigns in the print, visual and electronic media.
From there, the BJP's political leadership would take over and trumpet their achievements on this count in umpteen political rallies across the country.
The catch is that there is a thin line which can sort of give a boomerang effect to such glitzy campaigns.
Remember the fate of the India Shining campaign which worked to the disadvantage of the Vajpayee government.
So the think tanks curating the BJP's media blitzkrieg would have to exercise utmost caution while embarking on creating a goodwill buzz.
This is a double-edged sword which can prop up a lotus and cut it down to size as well.
Read more: Union budget news
