Kottayam: The Congress-led United Democratic Front has rolled out its guarantee model manifesto in Kerala ahead of the polls, promising ₹3,000 welfare pension, free travel for women on KSRTC buses and ₹1,000 monthly assistance for college-going girl students, banking on a strategy that worked in Karnataka and Telangana.

Most of the UDF’s promises follow a common template targeting women, the elderly, farmers and unemployed youth. While region-specific changes have been made, a significant portion of the Congress manifestos across Karnataka in May 2023, Telangana in November 2023, Maharashtra in November 2024, and the Lok Sabha elections in April to June 2024 has remained largely similar. The Kerala manifesto released on Thursday and the Assam version announced last week also follow the same pattern.

In Karnataka, key promises included ₹2,000 monthly assistance for women, 200 units of free electricity, 10kg of free rice for every BPL family, financial support for unemployed youth, and free travel for women in State Road Transport Corporation buses. The party went on to secure a decisive victory over the BJP and form the government.

In Telangana, the monthly assistance for women was set at ₹2,500, along with 200 units of free electricity and a stipend for unemployed youth. Additional promises included loan schemes to support young entrepreneurs, farmer-focused initiatives, enhanced pensions, and free travel for women in RTC buses. The Congress returned to power, defeating the Bharat Rashtra Samithi after two consecutive terms.

The Maharashtra Assembly elections in late 2024 and the Lok Sabha elections earlier that year saw modified versions of the same guarantee package. The Paanch Nyay framework, comprising 25 guarantees for the Lok Sabha polls, contributed to the BJP’s tally dropping from 303 to 240 seats, while the INDIA bloc secured 234 seats, including 99 for the Congress. However, the strategy did not yield similar results in Maharashtra.

As four states and one Union Territory head to polls from April 9, the Congress has extended the same model to Kerala, while Assam received its regional variant last week.

In Kerala, the promises include a welfare pension of ₹3,000, daily wages of ₹700 for ASHA workers, a procurement price of ₹35 per kg for paddy, free travel for women on KSRTC buses, ₹1,000 monthly assistance for college-going girl students, and interest-free loans for young entrepreneurs, along with several State-specific commitments. The UDF will be hoping that the strategy that succeeded in Karnataka and Telangana delivers similar results in Kerala.