Will the middle class which constitutes 45% of voters, emerge as the kingmaker after Delhi Assembly Elections 2025? With the BJP holding meetings in almost all constituencies to reach out to this segment of society and the Aam Aadmi Party removing all stops to woo them, the middle class seems to be in a pretty enviable position.
No one was shocked when former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal put seven demands to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to address the issues of the Middle class.
Arvind Kejriwal Bats For Middle Class
He asked her to increase the budget allocation for education from 2% to 10%, increase the health budget to 10%, remove the health insurance tax, increase the income tax exemption limit from Rs 7 lakh to Rs 10 lakh and abolish GST on essential items.
The AAP convenor also demanded a comprehensive retirement policy and free treatment for senior citizens. He also asked her to restore the discount given to senior citizens in railways.
The ruling party which has meticulously built a strong support base among underprivileged and marginalised people, has also focused on the middle class. Delhi government allocated 24.3% of its budget on education and 13.8% on health care.
While the middle class constitutes 31% of the population as the national average, Delhi has 45%. It supported the anti-corruption movement spearheaded by Anna Hazare in 2012 and backed the AAP when the party was formed.
Middle-Class Backs AAP
According to reports, prepared by the CSDS, while about 51% of the voters from this section supported the AAP in 2020, about 39% of them backed the BJP.
They switched over their allegiance and about 50% of the middle-class population voted for the Saffron party in Lok Sabha Elections 2024, 32% voted for the AAP.
Also Read: Delhi Assembly Elections 2025: What Have Satta Bazaars, C-Voter Predicted About Results?
Analysts believe, alarmed at this development, Arvind Kejriwal chalked out the strategy to woo this segment and came out with seven demands before the Union Budget 2025. These demands are directly related to the middle class.
If Nimala Sitharaman accepts any of these demands, the AAP may take the credit, which may boost its position in the middle class across the country, transcending the Delhi border.
If these demands are not accepted, the ruling party of Delhi may rake up the issue and accuse the BJP of being insensitive to the middle class.
Will BJP Woo Middle Class?
The BJP on the other hand, has chalked out the strategy to woo the middle class by reaching out to them and sending the cadres of the expanded Sangh Pariwar to the people.
The RSS has held more than a hundred meetings at the “mohalla” level and its “karyakartas” (volunteers) launched a door-to-door campaign at the grassroots level.
The bodies of small traders and small manufacturers holding allegiance to the RSS and its Hindutva school of thought, too have spanned across the national capital region.
These associations held meetings of the bodies and reached out to them with clear messages from the BJP.
When the saffron party made its manifesto for Delhi Elections, it kept its eyes on the middle class and most of its announcements were designed to woo this segment of the society.
BJP Manifesto Eyes Middle-Class
In the latest flurry of announcements on Sunday, the saffron party removed all stops to woo the middle class.
From “Anti-Romeo” squads to free metro travel under the National Common Mobility Card to eligible students, to free electricity to poor households to laptops to meritorious students of Class 12, the BJP left no one untouched.
Taking a cue from the AAP, the saffron party also announced a monthly salary of Rs 20,000 to pujaris and granthis and offered to provide girl students with free e-scooters.
Congress too has raked up the issues of the middle class and tailormade its manifesto for the Delhi Assembly Elections 2025.
How the middle class will respond? While the AAP has made deep inroads into the lower and marginalised classes by offering facilities like free electricity up to 200 units per month and water, water subsidy, and monthly assistance of Rs 2,100 to every eligible woman, it also spanned out to the middle class.
Will the middle class continue to back the AAP? Will they shift to the BJP, partly to the announcements made and partly because of a sense of disillusionment?
The middle class will give its verdict soon.
