President-elect Donald Trump returned to the White House on Wednesday for the first time since winning last week’s election and sat down for talks about the looming transfer of power with longtime political rival President Joe Biden.

“Welcome, welcome back,” Biden told Trump at the start of their meeting in front of a roaring fireplace.

He promised Trump a smooth transition of power and to do all he could “to make sure you’re accommodated.”

“It’ll be as smooth as it can get,” Trump said.

It was a sharp contrast to the criticism the two men have hurled at each other for years. Their respective teams hold vastly different positions on policies from climate change to Russia to trade.

Biden, 81, has portrayed Trump as a threat to democracy, while Trump, 78, has portrayed Biden as incompetent. Trump made false claims of widespread fraud after losing the 2020 election to Biden.

Trump’s motorcade rolled through the heavily guarded White House gate and the former and future Republican president was greeted in the Oval Office by Biden, a Democrat who defeated him in the 2020 election.

Outside on the White House driveway, a massive crowd of journalists gathered in anticipation of the big event.

Trump celebrated his victory earlier in the day with Republicans in the House of Representatives who have a good chance of maintaining control of the chamber as Nov. 5 election results trickle in.

“Isn’t it nice to win? It’s nice to win. It’s always nice to win,” Trump said. “The House did very well.”

Biden, who initially ran against Trump in the 2024 election before stepping aside and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee, will welcome the former and future president into the Oval Office, a traditional courtesy by outgoing presidents that Trump, a Republican, did not extend when Biden won in 2020.

“He believes in the norms, he believes in our institution, he believes in the peaceful transfer of power,” White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said of Biden’s decision to invite Trump. She spoke at a briefing for reporters on Tuesday.

Outside the White House gates, signs of the impending power transfer were evident with construction already under way for the stands for VIP guests to sit during the parade that will take place after Trump is inaugurated on Jan. 20.

Although Biden intends to use the meeting to show continuity, the transition itself is partially stalled.

Vice President Kamala Harris will visit every battleground state in the final week before Election Day, with a focus on female voters who she hopes will propel her to the White House. 

The campaign has directed several messages to female voters in recent days, reminding them that what happens in the voting booth is a secret.

A Democratic ad released Monday delivers the message: “You can vote any way you want and no one will ever know.” 

On Saturday in Kalamazoo, Michigan, former first lady Michelle Obama reminded women that “we are more than just baby making vessels.” 

“If you are a woman who lives in a household of men that don’t listen to you or value your opinion, just remember that your vote is a private matter,” Obama said in the battleground state. 

A voter CBS News met at the rally said she’s heard from a number of female Republicans who will vote Democrat. 

“There’s been kind of a little under campaign going about,” she said. “You can vote and no one knows your vote. And it’s been aiming at women.”

Four first-time female voters all said the top issue for women their age is abortion and reproductive rights. 

Harris told CBS News in an interview Saturday that she would restore Roe v. Wade if she wins the election. 

“I support Roe v. Wade being put back into law by Congress, and to restore the fundamental right of women to make decisions about their own body. It is that basic,” Harris said. 

Harris skirted the question about whether she supports abortion restrictions after fetal viability, generally considered to be between 22 and 24 weeks of pregnancy. 

“We would not be debating this if Donald Trump had not hand-selected three members of the United States Supreme Court with the intention they would undo the protections of Roe v. Wade,” she said, noting that women have died because of restrictions that have been enacted since the rollback. 

“We have seen women who are experiencing a miscarriage around a pregnancy they prayed for and being denied healthcare because doctors are afraid they’re going to go to prison, and those women developing sepsis,” she said. “We have seen extraordinary harm and pain and suffering happen because of what Donald Trump did in intending and effectuating and overturning of Roe v. Wade. Yes, my first priority is to put back in place those protections and to stop this pain and to stop this injustice that is happening around our country.” 

She also urged Americans not to take former President Donald Trump at his word when he denies that he would support a national abortion ban. 

“He says everything,” Harris said. “Come on, are we really taking his word for it? He said that women should be punished. He has been all over the place on this.” 

With polling showing some of Harris’ early gains have slowed and that the race for the presidency is essentially a dead heat, Harris said she doesn’t put too much stock in the polls.

“I think, certainly, polling is a measure, but to be frank, if I’d listened to polls I would have never run for my first or second office,” she said. “Wouldn’t be here talking with you.”

She pointed to record turnout for early voting in North Carolina and Georgia as a sign of enthusiasm.

Asked if, considering how late in the process she became the Democratic nominee, she felt she had sufficient time to make her case to the American people, Harris responded, “I’m gonna make the most of the time I have.”

महाराष्ट्र विधानसभा चुनाव के लिए शिवसेना शिंदे गुट ने अपने 15 उम्मीदवारों की लिस्ट जारी की है. इनमें से शिवसेना के 13 और सहयोगी दल के 2 उमीदवार हैं. लिस्ट में मुंबादेवी विधानसभा क्षेत्र से शिंदे सेना गुट से भाजपा की शायना एनसी चुनाव लड़ेंगी. शिंदे सेना को 1 या 2 सीटें और मिल सकती हैं. बीजेपी से बातचीत अभी भी जारी है.

रविवार को एकनाथ शिंदे की शिव सेना ने 20 उम्मीदवारों के नाम का ऐलान किया था. इस लिस्ट में संजय निरुपम को दिंडोशी और मिलिंद देवड़ा को वर्ली से टिकट दिया गया. गौर करने वाली बात है कि मिलिंद देवड़ा वर्ली विधायक आदित्य ठाकरे के खिलाफ मैदान में होंगे.

अंधेरी पूर्वी सीट पर पूर्व बीजेपी नेता मुरजी पटेल को खड़ा किया गया है. यह सीट पहले से ही चर्चा में थी क्योंकि शिंदे ने पहले यहां से पूर्व एनकाउंटर स्पेशलिस्ट और एंटीलिया मामले में आरोपी प्रदीप शर्मा की पत्नी को मैदान में उतारने की योजना बनाई थी. हालांकि, बीजेपी ने इस पर जोरदार आपत्ति जताई, जिसके बाद योजना बदलनी पड़ी.

मिलिंद देवड़ा लड़ेंगे आदित्य ठाकरे के खिलाफ चुनाव 
मिलिंद देवड़ा को हाल ही में शिवसेना ने राज्यसभा सांसद के रूप में नामित किया था. वह अब वर्ली सीट पर आदित्य ठाकरे के खिलाफ मुकाबला करेंगे. वर्ली, जो मराठी मध्यवर्गीय, मछुआरा समुदाय और समृद्ध वर्ग का क्षेत्र है, वहां माना जा रहा है कि मिलिंद देवड़ा अपनी कुछ छाप छोड़ सकते हैं. अपने नाम के ऐलान से पहले सोशल मीडिया प्लेटफॉर्म ‘X’ पर देवड़ा ने कहा था कि उनका ध्यान वर्लीकरों के लिए लंबित न्याय को पूरा करने पर है.

आदित्य ठाकरे ने कसा तंज 
वर्ली से मौजूदा विधायक आदित्य ठाकरे ने कहा कि महायुति पिछले पांच सालों में मेरे खिलाफ एक भी उम्मीदवार नहीं ढूंढ पाई. हालांकि, आदित्य ने तंज कसा कि कई उम्मीदवार सिर्फ अपने प्रचार के लिए मैदान में होंगे. साथ ही, बगल के माहिम निर्वाचन क्षेत्र से मौजूदा विधायक सदा सरवणकर ने दावा किया कि लोग उन लोगों को वोट देंगे जो शिवसेना सुप्रीमो बालासाहेब ठाकरे की वैचारिक विरासत को आगे ले जा रहे हैं. इस बीच, आदित्य ठाकरे के सहयोगी और बांद्रा ईस्ट निर्वाचन क्षेत्र से उम्मीदवार वरुण सरदेसाई ने कहा कि हम यह चुनाव उद्धव ठाकरे को एक बार फिर मुख्यमंत्री बनाने के लिए लड़ रहे हैं.

एकनाथ शिंदे समेत राज्य के कई बड़े नेताओं ने किया नामांकन
महाराष्ट्र के मुख्यमंत्री और शिवसेना के अध्यक्ष एकनाथ शिंदे ने सोमवार को आगामी विधानसभा चुनाव के लिए कोपरी-पचपखड़ी विधानसभा क्षेत्र से नामांकन भर दिया है. ये सीट ठाणे जिले में आती है. नामांकन के दौरान बेटे ऋत्विक और परिवार के सदस्य मौजूद थे. नामांकन दाखिल करने से पहले उन्होंने घर में पूजा अर्चना की. इस सीट से 2019 महाराष्ट्र विधानसभा चुनाव में एकनाथ शिंदे जीते थे. इससे पहले 2014 के चुनाव में भी शिवसेना की टीकट पर एकनाथ शिंदे ने 100,420 वोटो से जीत हासिल की थी. वहीं इस सीट से शिवसेना (UBT) ने ठाणे के कद्दावर नेता दिवंगत आनंद दिघे के भतीजे केदार दिघे को चुनावी मैदान में उतारा है.

अब तक किसने, कितने उम्मीदवार घोषित किए

महाविकास अघाड़ी

शिवसेना यूबीटी = 65+15+4= 84
कांग्रेस = 48+23+ 16+12 = 99
राष्ट्रवादी सपा = 45+22 +9+ 6= 82
कुल = 265
बची सीटें = 23

महायुति गठबंधन

भाजपा = 99+22+25 = 146
शिवसेना = 45+20 +13= 78
एनसीपी = 38+7 +4= 49
सहयोगी – 6
कुल = 279
बची सीटें = 9

Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has pledged to stay in office despite receiving a major blow in Sunday’s snap election he called himself to shore up more support for his party.

Ishiba told reporters on Monday he would not allow a “political vacuum” to occur after Japan’s ruling coalition lost its parliamentary majority in a significant defeat for his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has governed the country almost continuously since 1955.

Ishiba, 67, called the vote days after assuming office on October 1. But voters, angry at a funding scandal, punished the LDP by reducing it to 191 seats, down from 259 in the 465-member lower house of parliament. LDP’s coalition partner Komeito won 24 seats.

The snap election was the governing coalition’s worst result in 15 years, exit polls and results reported by national broadcaster NHK and other media showed. The yen hit a three-month low as results came out.

Despite this, Ishiba said: “I want to fulfill my duty by protecting people’s lives, protecting Japan.”

“People’s suspicion, mistrust and anger” at the slush fund scandal – which saw LDP figures pocket money from fundraising events and which helped sink his predecessor Fumio Kishida – factored in the election result, Ishiba said.

“I will enact fundamental reform regarding the issue of money and politics,” Ishiba stressed, repeating that voters had delivered a “severe judgement” on the party.

Japanese media had earlier speculated that if LDP lost the majority, Ishiba could quit, becoming the nation’s shortest-serving prime minister since the end of World War II.

The LDP’s election committee chief, former Premier Junichiro Koizumi’s son Shinjiro Koizumi, resigned on Monday.

Ishiba is expected to seek to head a minority government, with the divided opposition seen as likely incapable of forming a coalition of their own, analysts said.

But the prime minister on Monday said he was not considering a broader coalition “at this point”. As mandated by the constitution, the parties now have 30 days to figure out a grouping that can govern.

The opposition, under former premier Yoshihiko Noda’s Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP), made significant gains, which raised its projected seat tally to 148 from 96 at the last election.

“Voters chose which party would be the best fit to push for political reforms,” Noda said late on Sunday, adding that the “LDP-Komeito administration cannot continue”.

Japan’s government and governing coalition officials are planning to convene a special parliament session to select the prime minister on November 11, Kyodo News reported on Monday, quoting multiple unnamed sources.

“Lawmakers aligned with [former Prime Minister Shinzo] Abe were cold-shouldered under Ishiba, so they could potentially pounce on the opportunity to take their revenge,” Yu Uchiyama, political science professor at the University of Tokyo, told the AFP news agency.

“But at the same time, with the number of LDP seats reduced so much, they might take the high road and support Ishiba for now, thinking it’s not the time for infighting,” he added.

The Trump campaign filed a formal legal complaint this week with the Federal Election Commission over what the campaign calls “blatant foreign interference in the 2024 Presidential Election in the form of apparent illegal foreign national contributions made by the Labour Party of the United Kingdom, and accepted by Harris for President.” 

That claim remains unsubstantiated, and has been denied by both the U.K. Labour Party and its leader, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. But lobbying firms and individual lobbyists formally registered as foreign agents of governments around the world — all with varying interests and including some autocratic regimes such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates — are donating significant amounts of money to both Republican and Democratic parties and candidates in this election cycle, a CBS News analysis has found.  

It is not uncommon, and not illegal, for registered foreign agents and lobbyists to finance political campaigns. Any legal permanent U.S. resident can donate to a political candidate or campaign, subject to limits imposed by the FEC. 

Over $33.5 million in individual political contributions came from registered foreign agents and lobbyists during the 2020 election cycle, according to analysis conducted by the OpenSecrets organization.

But campaign finance experts say the volume of donations reviewed by CBS News and the way they’re steered into American politics to serve foreign interests highlights potential loopholes in existing U.S. campaign finance laws. CBS News has reached out to all lawmakers, and donors referenced in this report for comment. 

The donations and firms behind them highlighted below are likely to be just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the scale of political contributions being made by registered foreign agents, and experts say it’s not just the flow of money that matters, but the conversations that take place between the entities involved. 

“What I’ve seen in over 15 years of analyzing U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act [FARA] filings is that there is a very, very strong correlation between whom these foreign agents are contacting and whom they’re giving money to, you know, which campaigns they’re giving money to,” Ben Freeman, the director of the Quincy Institute’s Democratizing Foreign Policy program, told CBS News. 

“If they’re contacting a congressional office, on behalf of a foreign power, there’s a very good chance that they or somebody at their firm are also making campaign contributions to them,” Freeman said. 

Below are some of those firms: 

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Shreck

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck made $17 million in revenue for the third quarter of 2024 alone, according to Politico, citing the firm’s most recent disclosure of revenue, making the company one of the most lucrative lobbyists in Washington.

OpenSecrets’ most recent analysis shows the firm has taken nearly $1.3 million in total fees from foreign governments this year, with its biggest client being Saudi Arabia. 

When donations from individuals related to their firm, including relatives of employees, as well as the firm’s own political action committee, are taken into account, Brownstein has donated a total of $2,369,712 this year to political candidates across the country. 

Around 56% of that money has gone to GOP candidates and causes, while about 42% has gone to groups and candidates affiliated with the Democrats, OpenSecrets data shows.

FARA filings reviewed by CBS News show the company is currently representing both the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NEOM company, an investment group controlled by the Saudi government. 

The principal signatory on the firm’s foreign agent filings is Nadeam A. Elshami, a former chief of staff to ex House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Federal Election Commission records show Elshami has made multiple donations to senior Democratic figures this year. 

Elshami donated $2,500 in July to the Jobs, Education and Family First PAC, a political action committee affiliated with Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. This PAC is a “Leadership PAC,” which is a fundraising tool often established “in order to support candidates for various federal and nonfederal offices,” according to the FEC. 

Records show Elshami also donated $500 in June to the re-election campaign of Rep. Adam Smith, the top ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee —  the body responsible for funding and oversight of the U.S. Department of Defense and the United States Armed Forces. 

Smith was part of a congressional delegation that met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah in March of this year. In August, the Biden administration lifted a ban on selling offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia, reversing a three-year-old policy that had been in place to pressure the kingdom to wind down the Yemen war.

Smith told CBS News in a phone interview on Wednesday that he had not even been aware of the donation but said that it was “a bit of a stretch to take someone who is a U.S. citizen with 20 years of Hill experience, dozens of clients and say that he was acting on behalf of Saudi Arabia.” 

“If it’s proven that Saudi Arabia or any other country for that matter is organizing an effort to get people to give money, then that’s bundling and foreign countries can’t do that,” he added. 

Elshami also donated $1,000 to the campaign of Rep. Pete Aguilar, chair of the House Democratic Caucus, responsible for electing Democratic leadership in the House, as well as $5,000 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, an official fundraising arm for House Democrats across the country. 

“These aren’t the biggest contributions that members of Congress are going to be receiving in terms of donations, but $1,000, $5,000, $10,000, especially in the smaller downstream races, that goes a significant way, especially in the House of Representatives,” Casey Michel, author of the book “Foreign Agents: How American Lobbyists and Lawmakers Threaten Democracy Around the World,” told CBS News. 

Ballard Partners 

Lobbying firm Ballard Partners has received around $375,000 from foreign governments this year. OpenSecrets analysis shows the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been its most lucrative client, but FARA filings show the firm has lobbied for countries including Japan, Liberia and Guatemala. The firm recently opened a new office in Saudi Arabia. 

Republican megadonor Brian Ballard is the chief signatory on these foreign agent filings 

This year alone, Ballard has personally donated around $250,000 to the Republican National Committee, and another $250,000 to the Trump 47 Committee PAC. 

While Ballard has prolifically donated to Republican causes, he did contribute $3,300 to Sen. Chris Coons, of Delaware, in March. The following month, Coons — a top Democrat on the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a close ally of President Biden’s — introduced a renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, or AGOA. One of Ballard’s clients, the Democratic Republic of Congo, is a beneficiary of this legislation, which grants sub-Saharan African countries duty-free access to the U.S. market.

A spokesperson for Coons told CBS News in a statement that “AGOA has had broad, bipartisan support for nearly 25 years, and Senator Coons is one of many in Congress who have routinely supported AGOA during his tenure in the Senate.”

“Senator Coons believes that Americans should have confidence their legislators are not unduly influenced by foreign nations, and he would consider any FARA reform that came before the Senate,” the spokesperson said. 

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

The lobbying group Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld has earned $5.5 million dollars from foreign government clients this year. 

The United Arab Emirates is behind a sizable chunk of those fees, having paid the company $1.9 million dollars for its lobbying services on the Gulf state’s behalf, according to OpenSecrets. The company has also received $1.5 million from Saudi Arabia, OpenSecrets records show. 

Political contributions from individuals and their family members related to the firm, as well as the firm’s own PAC donations, have totalled about $2.7 million for 2024 so far, according to an OpenSecrets analysis. 

The donations have been distributed on a fairly bipartisan basis. Contributions include a total of $121,195 to the Democratic Senatorial Committee and $100,715 to the Kamala Harris campaign, and $100,625 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

FARA filings reviewed by CBS News show a current senior advisor for Akin Gump, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, was lobbying on behalf of the UAE as recently as 2022.

Ros-Lehtinen is a former Florida Republican congresswoman who has made multiple donations to GOP lawmakers in this election cycle. 

In February, Ros-Lehtinen made a $1,000 donation to Republican Rep. Maria Salazar, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the powerful committee with jurisdiction over bills and investigations concerning U.S. foreign affairs, as well as a $500 donation to Rep. Mario Diaz Balart, a congressman who has in the past taken a hard-line legislative stance against the Muslim Brotherhood, pushing for sanctions against the Sunni Islamist political movement. The group is fiercely opposed by the UAE. 

She also donated $5,000 to Akin Gump’s own political action committee in February. 

“In the U.S., by far, the most common occupation for former members of Congress is to lobby other members of Congress when they leave the House or the Senate — it’s more than 50%,” Ben Freeman of the Quincy Institute notes. 

Freeman told CBS News the cumulative effect of political donations can be sizable in terms of lobbyist influence. 

“Something like $500, you know, it might not look like that much if you look at just one of these contributions at a time, but these contributions don’t happen on an island. One lobbyist at the firm might make a $1,000 contribution, another one might make $2,000. The firm’s PAC might make, you know, several $1,000 contributions, too,” he said. “When you start adding up all the contributions from all the lobbyists and the firm itself, you start to get to some serious numbers on some of these politicians — you know, tens of thousands and even hundreds of thousands.” 

BGR Group

The firm BGR Group has earned $288,621 this year according to OpenSecrets. Most of that money has come from its top client, Qatar. 

Individuals and PACs associated with the lobbying firm have, per OpenSecrets records, spent nearly $2 million cumulatively in campaign contributions in this election cycle.

Of that money, around $29,532 in total contributions from individuals and from the firm itself has been donated specifically to Republican Sen. Roger Wicker, the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, during 2024. It makes Wicker one of the largest individual beneficiaries of BGR contributions this year, per OpenSecrets analysis. 

The Senate Armed Services Committee is currently reviewing Qatar’s status as a major non-NATO U.S. ally, after a group of senators introduced legislation to revoke the Gulf state’s status unless it withdraws alleged financial support for terrorist groups and expels or extradites senior Hamas leadership.

Wicker voiced opposition to the bill when it was introduced in April. 

“This strikes me as a step we should be very careful about,” Wicker said, according to Jewish Insider. “Qatar has been a friend in many ways and there are mutual benefits in our two countries continuing to be friends. This is a matter that governments should speak to each other about.”

In a statement, Nathan Calvert, communications director for Sen. Wicker, said “support from individuals at BGR is a direct result of long-standing friendships among fellow Mississippians that precede Senator Wicker’s time in elected office. Senator Wicker regularly meets with and considers the views of a wide variety of constituents and stakeholders regardless of their political support or lack thereof.”

FEC filings seen by CBS News also show that BGR Government Affairs CEO Bob Wood has donated more than $42,000 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the official fundraising arm for the GOP’s efforts to elect candidates to the U.S. Senate.

Will FARA laws change?

Recent cases involving Democratic lawmakers including former Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey, Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas, and New York City Mayor Eric Adams, have exposed the potential frailties in foreign agent registry laws that could allow for foreign influence campaigns. 

All three lawmakers were indicted in separate cases on charges of accepting bribes from foreign governments in exchange for official acts over the past year. Both Adams and Cuellar have pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied any wrongdoing. In July, Menendez was found guilty on all counts after being tried on charges of illegally using his influence to benefit the governments of Egypt and Qatar. 

Campaign finance expert Casey Michel told CBS News that legislative efforts to reform lobbying rules seem unlikely to pass, as lawmakers are the primary beneficiaries of the existing system.

Michel noted that a whole host of legislative efforts — including a bipartisan bill called the Fighting Foreign Influence Act — have failed in Congress. 

“I think the great irony in the last few years is that there have been all these bills that have been introduced, especially related to FARA and how to tighten things up, how to improve things, and none of them have passed,” Michel said. “And the reason was because the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who was, you know, the most powerful senator in terms of crafting American foreign policy, was Bob Menendez, who, as we now know, was working simultaneously as an agent of the Egyptian government.” 

Joanne Stocker

contributed to this report.

The survey asked its 10,314 respondents their views on a list of three statements related to free goods and services. Of them, 56% agreed they were unnecessary freebies, 78% agreed they were mainly aimed at getting votes, and 61% said they could hurt the country’s financial situation. The negative view was more common in north and central states, and among the older cohort (those born before 1981), those in Tier-I cities, and those with higher incomes.

This is along the lines of the findings to a similar question in the previous round of the survey held in December 2023, though with increased distaste for free goods and services.

The latest survey was the 12th in a biannual series conducted by Mint in association with survey partner YouGov India and Delhi-based think tank Centre for Policy Research. The respondents were spread across over 200 cities and towns. Conducted since 2018, the survey throws light on the beliefs, choices, and anxieties of India’s young urban population.

Respondents across party lines disliked freebies but supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were more likely to find them unnecessary, a vote-seeking ploy, and hurtful to the country’s financial situation. As many as 64% of them said they were unnecessary freebies(higher than 59% in the previous round), against 49% among Congress supporters. Among supporters of the Aam Aadmi Party, whose policies in Delhi and Punjab have brought the focus on free services like electricity in recent years, 49% said the same. The Congress, too, has made cash transfers part of its electoral discourse.

(Around 46% of the respondents were BJP supporters, 15% supported Congress, and 3% AAP.)

India has always had subsidies on some goods and services, including food and fuel, since Independence. However, the debate over whether such moves are fiscally responsible was reignited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July 2022 when he attacked Opposition parties over the “revdi culture” and said it was “dangerous for the country’s development”.

The previous round of the survey found that BJP supporters, despite their general disapproval of subsidy policies, were highly supportive of those launched by BJP governments and distrusting of those of Congress governments. The vice versa was true for Congress supporters.

Also Read: In charts: Story of polls, freebies and politics

Class clash

Despite an overwhelming opinion against freebies, there was some disagreement over the merits of such policies across the rich-poor divide. A clear majority across both sides (70% of those who identified as poor; 88% of those who called themselves rich) agreed that freebies were aimed at votes, but the views diverged on the other two questions.

As opposed to 84% of self-identified ‘rich’ respondents, only 46% of the ‘poor’ said freebies were detrimental to the country’s financial situation. On the need of such promises, both the ‘poor’ and ‘lower middle class’ agreed far less than the rich.

The class identification is based on responses to a question on how participants rated the financial situation of their households (5% poor; 43% lower middle class; 45% upper middle class; 7% rich).

Also Read: India’s middle-class riddle: How much do you need to be called rich?

Public paradox

Even though freebies are disliked greatly, respondents did want some goods and services for free or at somewhat subsidized rates. High-income respondents expressed a stronger desire for subsidies or free giveaways.

Over 90% of the respondents think education, healthcare and agricultural products for farmers should be free or come at subsidized rates. When it comes to transport for women, electricity, gas cylinders and fuel, three in four respondents think they should be free or subsidized.

Those with higher incomes showed more inclination compared to the low-income group. Barring education and healthcare, for all other goods and services listed by the survey, those earning over ₹50,000 a month were likely to express the view that they should be free.

The divide is the highest for free petrol and diesel (17% of those earning above ₹50,000 compared to 10% of those earning below ₹50,000) and gas cylinders (21% and 15%, respectively). Free electricity and free transport for women, which have found popularity through several election seasons, also attract more high-income earners.

Also Read: Five more years of free foodgrains: The financial and welfare implications

All in all, the discourse about the alleged freebies culture is impacting views among urban voters, but the country’s overall approach to a welfare economy still finds resonance with a large share of the population. This nuance could shape how the debate on the topic evolves over the next few state elections.

This is the fourth part of a series about the findings of the 12th round of the survey. The previous two parts covered political attitudes. These surveys are skewed towards urban, well-to-do netizens, with 90% of respondents falling under the NCCS-A socio-economic category.

Part 1 (14 October): 2024 polls changed the electoral pitch — but only a little

Part 2 (15 October): Making sense of urban India’s political faultlines

Part 3 (21 October): India’s middle-class riddle: How much do you need to be called rich?

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