Attacking freebies: BJP's strategy against regional parties

Successful regional parties are mostly run by charismatic leaders who rely significantly on populist welfare schemes and caste combinations

On July 16, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke out against attempts "being made to collect votes through distributing "revadis"." Arvind Kejriwal was quick to claim that the targeting of political freebies was directed against his Aam Adami Party. But the Prime Minister's political objective was probably much bigger. The BJP's concerted attempt to put restrictions on "profligate" welfarist measures and pre-election promise of freebies could help it to neutralise an effective instrument that regional parties have used against the BJP's brand of nationalism and majoritarianism.

The campaign may signal a new phase in the BJP's electoral strategy where the party's