Price cut fires up LPG politics ahead of 2024 LS polls

The central government on Tuesday announced a substantial reduction of Rs 200 per LPG cylinder. The decision, approved by the Union Cabinet on Tuesday, has brought cylinder politics back to the centre stage and the Modi government hopes that it will get the necessary political mileage ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as it did during its first term when it had introduced the Ujjwala scheme.

This reduction is in addition to the existing targeted subsidy of Rs 200 per cylinder to Ujjwala scheme beneficiaries, which will continue. For Ujjwala beneficiaries, the effective price in Delhi after this reduction will be Rs 703 per cylinder. During the first tenure of the Modi government, Ujjwala was one of the flagship schemes which proved beneficial for the BJP to reach out to the poor sections of society. The party has tried to win back the constituency it created during the first tenure and offer relief to the middle-class from the effects of the price rise.

"This is a gift to crores of my sisters of the country on Raksha Bandhan. Our government will always do everything possible that improves people's quality of life and benefits the poor and middle class," PM Modi said after the announcement.


The government also announced to give 75 lakh new Ujjwala connections to eligible households across the country which will take the number of total Ujjwala beneficiaries to 10.35 cr.

LPG pricing has been very crucial in India politics as this directly affects women as they mostly manage the domestic kitchen. With every party working to attract women voters, the LPG price is going to be at the centre of political discussion in the run-up to 2024.

During the 2022 UP elections, the BJP had promised to give one free cylinder each on Holi and Diwali to Ujjwala beneficiaries.

The issue of high LPG prices was raised by the Congress during the Karnataka assembly elections and the party felt that it was one of the factors that contributed to their victory in the state. The new Karnataka government, however, has not promised any reduction on LPG cylinders.

The Rajasthan Congress government had announced 12 LPG cylinders for '500 each a year for BPL families starting from April this year.

Last Sunday, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Chouhan announced LPG cylinders for '450 each on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan. Chouhan said that in future he will try to make it permanent.