Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday announced a free healthcare scheme for the city’s elderly, which they can avail at all government and private hospitals.

Flanked by Delhi CM Atishi and senior Cabinet ministers, Kejriwal declared that all residents of Delhi above 60 years of age would receive free medical treatment under the ‘Sanjeevani Yojana’.

Under the scheme, senior citizens will receive free medical treatment, but it will only be implemented if AAP returns to power in the upcoming elections, Kejriwal said.

Political rivals have dubbed the move as a pre-election “lollipop,” coming just months before the Delhi Assembly elections. While AAP argues that its policies are focused on public welfare, the BJP criticizes the announcement as a tactic to lure voters with freebies.

Kejriwal also announced that AAP workers would soon visit homes across the city to register residents for the ‘Sanjeevani Scheme’.

“Once we come to power after the elections, this will be implemented,” he said.

The AAP’s social media handle amplified the announcement with slogans such as ‘Beta ho toh aisa, Kejriwal jaisa (It’s good to have a son like Kejriwal)’ and ‘Bina shart milega ilaaj (Free treatment without any condition)’ to generate buzz around the free healthcare promise for senior residents.

This announcement comes just days after Kejriwal unveiled the Mukhya Mantri Mahila Samman Yojna, a scheme for women, under which beneficiaries will receive monthly assistance of Rs 1,000, which is set to increase to Rs 2,100 after the elections.

Both schemes are pre-poll promises and will be implemented only if the AAP emerges victorious in the upcoming elections.

The AAP is aiming for a third consecutive full term in Delhi, after its landslide victory in 2020, where it won 62 out of 70 seats. The upcoming elections will be a test of the party’s governance model.