NEW DELHI: ‘Har Ghar Mein Ujjwala, Har Ghar Mein Ujala’ — the Modi government is working on this “pro-poor mantra” that it hopes will consolidate the poor behind it in the 2019 elections and bring it victory, like demonetisation did in UP.The new Rs 16,320-crore electrification scheme is aimed at those above the poverty line too.While Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana benefits those below the poverty line with a free electricity connection, a subsidised connection at just Rs 500 for those above the poverty line, but excluding the urban non-poor, is now aimed at the “entire range of poor” in the country, senior party strategists have told ET. Existing cost of getting an electricity connection varies from state to state — from Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 — and the Centre will foot the subsidised cost.BJP has already reaped the electoral benefits of the Ujjwala scheme (providing a free gas cylinder connection to those below the poverty line) and demonetisation (which had the poor rooting for it) in UP.“The new electricity scheme for above BPL will benefit the people most in UP and Bihar, where a majority of the 4 crore such APL households are located. UP and Bihar are key to a win in 2019,” party leaders say. Other big states like Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Karnataka have sizeable chunk of such households.The ‘political, economic’ move will firmly rebut the “suit boot ki sarkar” jibe of Congress veep Rahul Gandhi , BJP leaders maintain.The scheme has economic sense too, senior government officials say. Some of the 4-crore unelectrified APL households may be drawing power illegally, causing commercial losses to the government as these people continue to remain out of the government’s revenue ambit. Giving them a metered legal connection helps the government earn revenue. Also, kerosene, which is an alternative source of power in such households, is adding to the government’s import bill.“Saubhagya does not envisage any subsidy for electricity consumption. People will have to pay bills honestly. The new meters would cut kerosene use in rural areas,” a senior government official said, explaining the economic benefits.Some states like UP, under the new BJP government, have already started an aggressive campaign to crack down on illegal power connections and book people resorting to the same — given UP’s power companies are in the red to the tune of almost Rs 20,000 crore. “Saubhagya offers a chance to everyone to come into legal electricity meter purview and pay one’s bills honestly,” an official said.Government officials say the “new assets created” will improve the quality of life over a period of time and hence the monetised benefit of the scheme is much more than what the government is going to invest. “The scheme will also inject over Rs 16,000 crore in the economy to create quality assets, which will add more investment in the economy and create jobs,” a government official said.The role of the states will be crucial in the same and the BJP-ruled states are expected to give it a major push. The government has said that 90% of the 4-crore households under its purview are in UP, Bihar, Maharashtra, MP, Odisha, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Karnataka, J&K and the northeastern states — majority of whom are ruled by BJP.An aggressive deadline of March 2019 has been fixed by Centre to deliver the work, in time before the 2019 elections. The pro-poor focus is clear — the PM in his speech on Monday stressed on his various pro-poor moves like the Jan Dhan Yojana , UDAAN scheme for cheap flights and the subsidised cost of heart stents and knee implants.