The Centre’s decision to reduce the price of household cooking gas has been prompted by the BJP’s internal feedback from five poll-bound states flagging voter anger over price rise, party insiders said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has projected the price cut as a festival gift to “sisters”, reinforcing one of the oldest gender stereotypes.

Party leaders said that surveys conducted in the poll-bound states had shown that most voters were upset at the rise in the prices of essential items in general, and of “gas ki tanki” (LPG cylinders) in particular, along with the lack of jobs, leading to fears that this could cost the BJP in the elections.

The Centre on Tuesday cut LPG cylinder prices by Rs 200, with ministers and party leaders rushing to laud the “bold step” as a “gift to sisters” by Modi.

“One of the major reasons for our big defeat in Karnataka was voter anger at the high price of LPG cylinders. The feedback from Rajasthan and other states has been similar,” a BJP leader said.

Polls are due this year in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram.

The central government on Wednesday put out full-page advertisements in newspapers hailing the cut in LPG prices as a big festival gift to “sisters” by Modi.

“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the dignity and respect of women has become the pride of the nation,” the advertisements claimed.

The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh too came up with advertisements claiming that the state was a “model of women empowerment”.

The Madhya Pradesh government, which had recently launched a cash dole scheme for poor women, has hiked the amount from Rs 1,000 a month to Rs 1,250 a month. To address voter anger at LPG prices, the state government has announced a subsidy for poor women but it has been limited to the month of Shravan.

“Our survey in Madhya Pradesh has shown that despite the various cash doles given by the state government, women are complaining that the ‘gas ki tanki’ has turned unaffordable and the prices of food items are too high,” a BJP leader said, adding that the reduction in cooking gas price could calm voter anger.

The internal surveys, party leaders said, have shown that it will be very difficult for the BJP to retain Madhya Pradesh or to wrest Chhattisgarh from the Congress. Despite Rajasthan's history of alternating between the Congress and the BJP, the party is not very confident, given the host of welfare schemes announced by the Ashok Gehlot government. Under one such scheme, the state's Congress government is giving LPG cylinders at Rs 500 to poor families.

The BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh government too came up with advertisements claiming that the state was a “model of women empowerment”.

Ahead of the polls, the Madhya Pradesh government launched a cash dole scheme for poor women and hiked the amount from Rs 1,000 per month to 1,250 per month. To address voter anger over LPG, the state government announced a subsidy for poor women but it was limited to the month of Shravan.

“Our survey in Madhya Pradesh has shown that despite various cash doles given by the state government, women complained that ‘gas ki tanki’ had turned unaffordable and the prices of food items were too high,” a BJP leader said, adding that the reduction in cooking gas price could calm voter anger.

The internal surveys, party leaders said, have shown that it will be very difficult for the BJP to retain Madhya Pradesh and snatch Chhattisgarh from the Congress. Despite the history of alternating between the Congress and the BJP in Rajasthan, the party is not very confident, given the host of welfare schemes announced by the Congress’s Ashok Gehlot government. Under one such scheme, the Gehlot government is giving LPG cylinders at Rs 500 to poor families.

The BJP’s feedback from Rajasthan indicates that Gehlot had managed to counter anti-incumbency to some extent with the help of welfare schemes. “The reduction in LPG price will benefit all the voters and we hope it will generate a goodwill in our favour,” a BJP MLA from Rajasthan said.

After the defeat in Karnataka, the BJP leadership is wary of losing the heartland states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The three states account for 65 Lok Sabha seats. Despite Modi’s popularity, party managers are worried that the disenchantment against the BJP governments in states could see the Opposition winning one state after the other and this could spoil the narrative in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls next year.