Disbursing promises

Election season is a time when political parties in India outdo themselves in trying to woo voters. With elections due in four states and a Union territory in April-May, the race to capture voters’ attention and loyalty has begun in earnest. Promises to the electorate range from the extravagant—four grams of gold for brides-to-be for a ‘mangalsutra’ in Tamil Nadu—to the basic everyday bread and butter issues such as jobs In West Bengal. Here’s a look at what parties are offering the people of Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal as the days of reckoning near.