Delhi Elections: Why All Parties Are Courting Middle Class Full Throttle Ahead of Polls

As the Budget Session in Parliament draws near, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has unveiled a manifesto particularly designed with the middle class in mind, spotlighting demands like enhanced funding for health and education, along with a raised limit for tax exemptions.

This strategic move is set against the backdrop of Delhi's forthcoming assembly elections slated for February 5, immediately following the Budget presentation on February 1.

Photo Credit: PTI

The manifesto is a clear nod to the middle-class voters, who were pivotal in ushering AAP into power but have recently shown a tilt towards the BJP, as indicated by recent post-election analyses, reported the Indian Express.

AAP's endeavor to recast its image from a party perceived to be focused solely on the poor, to one that also caters to the middle-class aspirations, is evident through this manifesto.

In a video address, Arvind Kejriwal, the national convener of AAP, highlighted the symbiotic relationship between the middle class and the underprivileged, suggesting that government interventions could pave a pathway for the latter to ascend to middle-class status, thereby securing a better future for the ensuing generations.

This manifesto launch brings to the forefront the challenges inherent in defining the "middle class" within the Indian context, given the absence of a standardized definition and the discrepancies in income ranges deemed to represent this demographic in various studies.

For instance, a study by the People Research on India's Consumer Economy (PRICE) in 2022 delineates the middle-class household income bracket as lying between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 30 lakh annually.

In contrast, the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) sets this range between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 10 lakh per annum. Nobel laureates Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo offer another perspective, defining the Indian middle class based on daily per capita expenditure.

According to the government's criteria, families earning below Rs 8 lakh annually fall into the Economically Weaker Section (EWS), highlighting the distinct economic tiers within the country.

PRICE's 2022 findings underscore the significant urban footprint of the middle class, particularly in Delhi, where they form the dominant income-based group.

This demographic inconsistency extends to other states and the national spectrum, with varied approximations of India's middle-class populace by different entities.

For example, Oxford Economics pegged the middle-class population in India at 46 crore in 2022, whereas the Pew Research Center noted a shrinkage in the middle-income group post-Covid-19, suggesting a majority of Indians now occupy the low-income bracket.

Past assessments and government tax filer data offer additional insights into the magnitude and composition of the Indian middle class.

AAP's targeted outreach to the middle class through its latest manifesto represents a concerted effort to tap into the aspirations and needs of a crucial yet diverse section of India's populace.

This approach acknowledges the complexities and varied understandings surrounding the socioeconomic profiles of the middle class in India, aiming to bridge the gap between policy and the lived realities of this pivotal voter segment.