Election freebies set to herald spending spree in rural India
Among promises to voters are smartphones, pressure cookers and toilets
New Delhi
AS India's most populous state heads to the polls, politicians are promising everything from smartphones to pressure cookers in a free-for-all that could signal the start of a spending spree in the country's hinterland.
In Uttar Pradesh, a state of 200 million people that begins voting in legislative elections on Saturday, parties including Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party are offering a range of freebies - which have also evolved to reflect a younger, more aspirational India.
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