Welfare schemes are passports to success. They entice people and lure them to vote for a particular party. They are like magnets that attract the voters. But, if properly not planned, they can end up as potential booby traps for those who laid them. Election eve sops can be like double-edged swords. They could end up slivering those who use them.

The Rythu Bandhu was a success for the TRS and it helped rain votes for KCR. But, the Dalit Bandhu was a disaster. It failed to enthuse the Dalits and ended up alienating the non-Dalits. What is important is that the scheme should inspire confidence and must have clear-cut execution mechanism. Without these, the sops could end up becoming counter-productive.

Ahead of the 2019 elections, Chandrababu Naidu too brought the Pasupu Kumkuma scheme to entice women voters. He even allocated Rs 10000 crore for the sceheme, which envisaged giving Rs 10000 to the DWCRA women groups. In fact, he has diverted the amounts kept apart for other schemes. In the process, the other schemes floundered and the people saw through the game of election-eve sops. In the end, Jagan won and Chandrababu sank along with his Pasupu Kumkuma.

Ditto with the Dalit Bandhu scheme. The voters felt this to be an election-eve gimmick The Dalits saw it as a sop that will vanish soon after the election. The non-Dalits began demanding similar ‘Bandhu’ scheme for them. The end result was that both the groups shunned the TRS and caused a humiliating defeat. As they say, those who tout election-eve schemes are going to sink with them.