In a move that brings back memories of past election cycles, Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav has announced that if his party is voted to power in the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, it will provide free Apple iPads to students. The promise, made at an event in July 2025, is a familiar gambit for the SP, which has a history of promising and distributing electronic devices to the youth.
The announcement was part of a larger set of welfare promises aimed at different demographics in the state. In addition to the iPads for students, Yadav pledged a monthly pension of ₹3,000 for women under the ‘Stree Samman Samriddhi Yojana’ and 300 units of free electricity for households.
A History of Gadget Giveaways
This isn’t the first time the former Chief Minister has used electronic devices as a key part of his election platform.
- Previous Tenure (2012-2017): During his time as Chief Minister, Yadav oversaw a massive scheme that distributed free laptops and tablets to students, a promise made in his 2012 election manifesto. The scheme was widely publicized and seen as a landmark move at the time.
- Opposition Politics (2021-2022): Even after losing power, Yadav continued to make similar gestures. In October 2021, he gave away laptops and tablets to meritorious students, seemingly to remind the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of its own alleged unfulfilled promises. A year later, on his birthday, he repeated the gesture with a group of student toppers.
- The 2025 Announcement: The latest promise, however, marks an upgrade from laptops and basic tablets to the more premium Apple iPad, indicating a potential shift in the party’s strategy to appeal to younger voters.
