The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Sunday released its manifesto for the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. Providing government jobs to one person in every family and giving free washing machines to ration card holders were among the key promises made by Tamil Nadu’s ruling party in its manifesto, according to The News Minute.

The party also promised to waive off education loans and said that it would request the Centre to scrap the Citizenship Amendment Act. However, the AIADMK, which is contesting elections with the Bharatiya Janata Party, had supported the Citizenship Amendment Act when it came up for voting in Parliament in 2019.

The manifesto was unveiled by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam in Chennai on Sunday evening. “People have largely benefited from this government for the last four years,” Palaniswami was quoted as saying by The Times of India at the event.

AIADMK’s manifesto focused heavily on women and students. For women, the party promised to provide bus concessions, six cylinders every year, a sum of Rs 1,500 per month for heads of households, free washing machines and an increase in maternity leave to one year, among other assurances.

For students, the party promised to set up more coaching institutes. It promised to establish a separate university for skill development. AIADMK also said that it will extend meal schemes to cover students of classes nine and above.

The AIADMK also promised to reduce the price of petrol and diesel, which had skyrocketed over the last few weeks, Deccan Herald reported.

Here are the other highlights of AIADMK’s manifesto

  1. The provision of solar cooking stoves to all ration card holders.
  2. Concrete houses to be built for homeless people in villages. People without homes in cities will be given a place in apartments built on government-purchased land.
  3. Pension for senior citizens will be increased from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000.
  4. A promise to set up world-class universities in the state in collaboration with Cambridge, Oxford, Yale and Harvard.
  5. Farmers to be provided a subsidy of Rs 7,500 per year. Minimum Support Price for turmeric, onion, paddy and banana will be decided.

The Opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam released its manifesto on Saturday. The party promised 75% job reservation for locals and financial assistance of Rs 25,000 to 1 lakh for people going on pilgrimage to major Hindu temples, among others.

Elections to the 234-seat Tamil Nadu Assembly and the bye-poll to Kanyakumari Lok Sabha seat will be held in a single phase on April 6. The results will be announced on May 2.