Union Budget 2025 | Nirmala’s tax cut call becomes ‘Modi’s guarantee’ in Delhi poll cry

New Delhi: Hoping to cash in on a slew of tax sops announced in the Union Budget, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday made a strong pitch to the middle classes in his last election rally for Delhi polls, pitching the tax rebate offered under the new tax slabs as “Modi ki guarantee.”

“The budget that came yesterday is a guarantee to fulfil promises of Modi,” the prime minister said in a rally in South Delhi’s RK Puram, a hub of government residential quarters.

“Over the past years, we have provided many facilities for the poor, such as free food, free healthcare, and permanent housing,” Modi added, referring to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s budget proposal to exempt up to Rs 12 lakh in annual income from the tax net.

The announcement came just before the Delhi polls where BJP is locked in a fierce contest against Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party. Aimed to spur consumer sentiment in general, the tax sops offered were also being seen as an attempt to woo Delhi’s 40 lakh income tax-payers.

In the Sunday election rally, the prime minister also took a dig at AAP whose eight MLAs, who were denied tickets, joined the BJP after resigning from Kejriwal’s party.

“Nowadays, we are seeing that even before the voting, broomsticks are scattered everywhere,” Modi said in an apparent reference to AAP’s election symbol as he slammed the Delhi government for making alleged false promises and promoting corruption.

The campaigning for the 70 Assembly seats in Delhi ends on February 3.

The polling will be held on February 5, with the counting of votes scheduled for February 8.

Delhi Assembly Election 2025 | The first of two state assembly polls this year sees a three-way contest between AAP, Congress, and BJP in the nation's capital. AAP decided to contest the polls alone, causing rumours of a rift in I.N.D.I.A. BJP, meanwhile, is hoping the liquor excise policy scam and pollution in Delhi will give the saffron party an edge over AAP. Kejriwal, on the other hand, has different plans with his demand for reservations for Delhi Jats. Congress will also be looking to make its presence felt and has not held back from attacking its own alliance partner. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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