Chief Minister of India's largest state promises free smartphones to lure voters ahead of elections

How do you convince a youth-dominated population to vote for you? You take care of their gadget needs.  At least, that’s what Indian politicians are increasingly resorting to.

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The latest instance comes from Uttar Pradesh, India's largest state by population, where Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has announced free smartphones for the entire voting population with an annual family income below Rs 200,000 ($3,000).

The smartphone will serve as a "two-way communication tool to inform and educate the poor about government schemes and policies," his Samajwadi Party-led government said. Those who want the free phone will have to register for it online, which are expected to begin next month.  The announcement comes as Uttar Pradesh prepares for a re-election early next year.

Very conveniently, Yadav said that the smartphone will be shipped only in the second-half of 2017, hinting that people need to ensure his party wins the upcoming election.  

India is home to the world's largest youth population with 40 percent of people under the age of 35. Over a million people turn 18 (the legal age to vote) in the country every month.

This isn’t the first time Yadav has turned to shiny gadgets to attract voters. In 2012, he announced a Rs 100 crore ($15 million) project to give away free laptops after his party won the 2011 assembly elections. They didn't shy away from fulfilling their promise, though the government had to can the program eventually after it realized that it owed tens of millions of dollars to HP, the company which was contracted for supplying the laptops. His government relaunched the program, albeit in limited capacity, again last year. 

But Yadav is not the only politician who has bet on shiny technology gadgets to lure voters. Jayalalithaa, a former actress and now the Chief Minister of Southern India state of Tamil Nadu, promised this year that her government will provide a mobile phone to every ration card holder, an identification measure in India to provide people in need with food products and fuel at a subsidized cost. She also announced free laptops with internet to students of standard 10 and 12; and free electricity and Wi-Fi at public places to go with the free devices.

Jayalalithaa's predecessor, Muthuvel Karunanidhi, who has served as the Chief Minister of the same state five times, had announced plans to give free color TVs to voters in 2006.

The government of Naveen Patnaik, the Chief Minister of Southern India state of Odisha, has been offering tens of thousands of free laptops to students for a few years now. Other politicians are also trying to replicate these schemes. Last year, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that BJP-led National Democratic Alliance would offer 50,000 laptops to students in Northern India state of Bihar if they won.

Image: India Today Group/Getty Images

In 2012, the Congress party had promised free laptops and tablets in Western India state of Gujarat. Punjab Dialogue Committee Chairman Kanwar Sandhu said earlier this year that they would offer free Wi-Fi hotspots in villages among other things in the Northern India state of Punjab. 

However, nothing tops the Congress-led UPA government, which preceded the current Narendra Modi led NDA government. In 2011, Kapil Sibal, the Human Resources Development Minister, launched an audacious plan to launch the world's cheapest Android tablet. The Aakash tablet was launched with much fanfare but turned out to be unusable. The plan was eventually shelved, but the then relatively unknown tablet brand, Datawind, is now one of the largest tablet shipper in the country, according to research firm IDC.