Free Bus for Men, Two-Wheelers For 5 Lakh Women: AIADMK's Poll Promises

In a major pre-election announcement, AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Saturday unveiled the first phase of the party's promises for the upcoming Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections, centering its agenda on gender-specific welfare and housing.

The pledges are aimed at challenging the ruling DMK and reclaiming power for the AIADMK-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

The cornerstone of the announcement is a dual transport initiative: a new free bus travel scheme for men on city buses, while continuing the existing free travel for women uninterrupted. Complementing this is the Amma Two-Wheeler Scheme, which promises a government subsidy of ₹25,000 each for 5 lakh women beneficiaries to purchase two-wheelers, aiming to enhance mobility and independence.

Further targeting women's welfare, the party announced the Women's Welfare Kulavilakku Scheme. This initiative will provide a monthly financial assistance of ₹2,000 to all ration card-holding families, with the amount credited directly to the bank account of the woman head of the household.

On the housing front, the Amma Illam Scheme pledges concrete houses on government-purchased land for the landless in rural areas. In urban zones, the government will construct and provide apartment buildings free of cost to those without homes.

Addressing rural employment, the AIADMK promised to enhance the central government's 125-day rural job scheme, extending it to provide 150 days of employment annually.

The announcements were made after Palaniswami and senior leaders paid floral tributes at the statue of former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa at the party headquarters in Chennai. The AIADMK, which severed ties with the BJP in 2023 only to renew the alliance recently, is striving to regain momentum after losing the 2021 state elections and a subdued performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

The ruling DMK, buoyed by its strong parliamentary poll performance, seeks to retain power. However, the electoral landscape has grown more complex with the significant entry of actor Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), ensuring a highly contested battle when Tamil Nadu goes to the polls in the first half of this year.

With inputs from ANI