Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said his government would extend the benefits of free electricity and water to tenants living in Delhi if reelected in the upcoming Assembly polls.

The subsidies are presently given to property owners.

Elections to Delhi’s 70-member Assembly will be held on February 5, with the counting of votes on February 8.

Addressing a press conference in the capital, Kejriwal said: “We have provided free electricity and water to residents of Delhi. However, it is unfortunate that tenants do not get these benefits.”

The former chief minister also pointed out that a significant portion of tenants in the capital hailed from the Purvanchal region, which is part of the larger Bhojpuri region in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Gorakhpur and Varanasi are its largest cities.

“Wherever I go, I meet people living on rent who say they benefit from good schools and hospitals but are deprived of free electricity and water schemes,” he added. “Most tenants in Delhi are very poor. They face financial hardships as they are unable to avail the subsidies. To address this, we will begin providing free electricity and water for the tenants as well if we come to power again.”

The Aam Aadmi Party government is seeking a third consecutive term. It has emphasised its welfare initiatives, including free utilities, improved public services and new welfare schemes while campaigning for the February 5 polls.

Apart from benefits for tenants, the Aam Aadmi Party has promised to double the monthly grant for women voters from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,100, free healthcare for residents above 60 under the ‘Sanjeevani Yojana’ and an honorarium of Rs 18,000 per month for priests and granthis under the ‘Pujari Granthi Samman Yojana’.

For autorickshaw drivers, who make up a significant portion of its support base, the party has pledged life and accident insurance cover worth Rs 15 lakh, Rs 1 lakh in wedding assistance for their daughters and a Rs 2,500 uniform allowance provided twice annually.