On 5 key poll promises | Sidda keeps his word

The new Congress government has delivered the first of its ‘five poll guarantees’. Provisioning for the huge outgos and navigating the fiscal tightrope comes next

THE RIDE: CM Siddaramaiah and deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar flag off the ‘Shakti’ free bus travel for women in Bengaluru, June 11. (Photo: Jithendra M)

Earlier this week, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah hopped on to a bus at Vidhana Soudha, the imposing secretariat building in Bengaluru, to flag off a scheme that allows women to travel for free on state transport buses across the state. This was the first of the Congress’s five pre-poll guarantees to roll out and the CM noted with pride that his government had made good on its promise within 22 days of taking charge.