Maharashtra Elections: Populist Schemes Aim To Win Women Voters

The ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra, a coalition of BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP, is enthusiastic about their recently announced populist schemes. They are particularly hopeful that the 'Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana' will help them bridge the gap left in the Lok Sabha elections and secure a win in the upcoming Assembly elections. However, the opposition alliance is gearing up to counter this scheme with an even more attractive proposal.

The Congress party has gained power in several states through similar schemes. They have extensive experience in distributing 'electoral rewards' from Himachal Pradesh to Karnataka and Telangana, which have proven to be guarantees of victory for them.

The Congress-led India Bloc had promised women Rs. 8,500 per month in the Lok Sabha elections, significantly contributing to their success."We will announce a larger sum to counter this ('Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana')," said a Congress strategist, according to a TOI report.

The Congress believes that promising more than Rs. 1,500 could turn the tide in their favour. The MVA won 30 out of 48 seats in the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, boosting their morale.

The opposition benefited from the promise of Rs. 8,500 to women in the Lok Sabha elections. The Congress-led India Bloc had promised women Rs. 8,500 per month in the Lok Sabha elections, and this election promise played a big role in the number of seats they won.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi comprises Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (SCP).Chief Minister Eknath Shinde expressed optimism about these schemes.

"These schemes worked like magic," he said during a meeting with coalition officials to promote the budget's new scheme. He added, "We were a bit negative after the Lok Sabha results, but these schemes have worked like magic and we have shown what we can do."

The Congress has already benefited from similar schemes in several states. Earlier, the Congress party had come to power in Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, and Telangana by promising a similar 'Mahalakshmi Yojana' for women.The state government has announced in the budget to give Rs. 1,500 to the women of Maharashtra every month.

But sources say that the Maha Vikas Aghadi might promise an even larger sum in the Assembly elections.

BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis emphasized unity among coalition partners. He stated, "We have to fight together; we have more than 200 MLAs. We can definitely win more than 200 seats."

Lessons from Madhya Pradesh

The Congress has a bitter experience with 'rewarding' women and wants to learn from it for Maharashtra. In 2023, they planned to promise Rs. 1,500 to women during Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections.

However, Kamal Nath prematurely made it public. The BJP benefited from this move in Madhya Pradesh. As soon as the Congress made this statement, then-Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan increased the amount of the existing 'Ladli Bahan Yojana' from Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 1,250 and promised to raise it to Rs. 1,500 if BJP won.

This scheme is credited with being a major reason for BJP's success in those Assembly elections. The MVA government hopes their new schemes will help them secure victory in Maharashtra's upcoming Assembly elections by addressing gaps left from previous elections and appealing directly to voters through financial incentives.