Arvind Kejriwal promises 300 units of free electricity to Goa voters ahead of polls

Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party convenor wrapped up his two-day Goa visit with lofty electoral promises, including free electricity for all.

Apart from that, he made four major announcements for the power sector in Goa ahead of the Assembly elections which are likely to take place early next year.

Kejriwal was in Goa with the view to give a boost to his party's electoral campaign in the state, where the party has been trying to make a foothold since the last Assembly polls. AAP is contesting elections in five states in 2022, including Goa, Uttarakhand and Punjab.

During his two-day visit, Kejriwal met various stakeholders and claimed that the AAP was getting a good response from the common people "who are looking for a clean politics after a spate of defections in the state during the current tenure".

Here are the key highlights from his presser:

Poll promises

• Each family in Goa will get up to 300 units of electricity free per month if his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is voted to power, Kejriwal said. He said, "If people in Delhi can get free electricity, then why not free power for people in Goa. Despite Goa being a power-surplus state, there are frequent power-cuts in the coastal state"
• The AAP's national convener also promised free electricity to farmers in the state
• Once the announcement is implemented after the AAP government is formed, 87 percent of Goa will start getting zero electricity, he further said.
• Kejriwal also said that all old or pending electricity bills will be waived off in Goa if AAP comes to power.
• The Delhi chief minister also promised an uninterrupted 24x7 power supply in Goa.
• Kejriwal also assured justice in a matter related to the demolition of a church in Chattarpur area of Delhi saying the action was taken by the Delhi Development Authority which comes under the Central government. Goa has a sizeable Christian population and the question of attacks on minority institution in the AAP-ruled territory could be made a talking point in Goa elections.

These promises were similar to what Kejriwal made ahead of the Delhi Assembly Elections in 2014 Delhi Assembly polls and which had turned out to be a core talking point in the run-up to elections.

Kejriwal has also made a similar promise in the state of Uttarakhand as well ahead of the state polls due early next year.

Political statements

Kejriwal also responded to some political questions at his press conference. On one hand he deftly deflected questions on Congress' Navjot Singh Sidhu who have previously flirted with the idea of joining AAP, while he also slammed the turncoat Congress MLAs who helped BJP form a government in the state despite Congress turning out to be the single-largest party in the state.

• Kejriwal slammed MLAs who left Congress and other parties to join the BJP after last Assembly elections in Goa.
• "Going by the numbers, those who should have been in opposition are now ruling the state and those who should have been in power are now in the opposition," he said.
• "These MLAs who switched sides claimed that they were joining the BJP to get people's work done. Did they do people's work as they claimed? Now people are saying that they switched sides for lure of money. People feel betrayed," he said.
• "Thousands of Goans are claiming they will not vote for either BJP or Congress in the next elections, Kejriwal said.Goa wants change. People want clean politics," he said.
• Kejriwal said that he felt "encouraged" as even Opposition leaders are talking about his party, a day after Congress MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu tweeted that the AAP has always recognised his vision and work for Punjab.
• Navjot Singh Sidhu? He is in Punjab. I am happy that AAP is doing such a good job that even Opposition leaders are praising us. So, one feels encouraged about it, the Delhi chief minister said when asked about Sidhu's tweets.

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