India's Modi cuts cooking gas cylinder price by 100 rupees, weeks before polls

A 14.2 kg cooking gas cylinder costs around 900 rupees in the capital Delhi

A man pushes a cart filled with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders in Mumbai, India, July 1, 2020. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File Photo

India has decided to reduce the cost of a cooking gas cylinder by 100 rupees ($1.2), Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday, a move seen as targeting women voters days before national elections are called.

The price cut will "ease the financial burden on millions of households across the country", mainly benefiting women, Modi said in a post on messaging platform X on Women's Day.

More women have started to vote for Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party as a result of its focus on women's welfare, including a free food plan and domestic benefits such as piped water, 24/7 electricity and a cooking gas connection.

A 14.2 kg (31.31 lb) cooking gas cylinder costs around 900 rupees ($11) in the capital Delhi.

Separately, the government on Thursday decided to extend its subsidy for low income households, after raising it two times last year to 300 rupees per liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder from 200 rupees earlier to rein in inflation.