Abstract: The culture of freebies is nothing new. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru won the first Lok Sabha elections in 1952 with a sizable majority. The practice of political parties offering free rations and midday meals in schools to entice votes began in the 1960s. Later, in the 1980s, the parties pledged to offer free televisions, sarees, chappals, and other items to entice voters during elections. These days, political parties have made promises to provide free electricity and water, pension plans for the elderly and widows, financial aid to the underprivileged, financial support for women and farmers, free bus travel for women, the distribution of laptops, smartphones, and bicycles, the regulation of contract workers, loan forgiveness, etc. In this essay, I will discuss the political, economic, andpsychological effects on voters of these gifts. The democratic spirit is harmed by this culture, which also burdens taxpayers' wallets and encourages laziness.
Keywords: Sizeable, entice, underprivileged, regulation.
[1]. https://eci.gov.in/election-manifestos/
[2]. Arun N.K, 2013, First define a freebie, Indian Express
[3]. Imranullah Mohammad, April 2021, Freebie culture makes people of Tamil Nadu lazy, laments HC, the Hindu.
[4]. RBI report, June 2022, State Finances: A Risk Analysis
[5]. Gupta Rashil, Sep, 2022, Election Freebies, Readers blog, Times of India