India
Were women-oriented schemes the deciding factor in the Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand? | India News – Times of India
Eknath Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis and Hemant Soren
In Maharashtra, Mahayuti, the BJP-led NDA group, is set to retain power as it claimed a landslide victory, while in Jharkhand, INDIA, the Congress-JMM-RJD-CPI(ML) group appears to be back on the throne . .
Parliamentary election results
While counting of votes for several seats continues, the Mahayuti alliance secured around 220 seats. In Jharkhand, results for 81 seats have been declared, while the INDIA block won 56 seats. Both alliances crossed the majority threshold.
There are several reasons for their victory, but it seems that the programs aimed at women could have been a game changer in both Maharashtra and Jharkhand as both states witnessed a rise in the female voters.
Maharashtra Assembly Elections
In Maharashtra, where the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP alliance recorded a landslide victory, Ladki Bahin Yojana Launched in August this year ahead of the Assembly elections, it provided Rs 1,500 per month to women with an annual household income of less than Rs 2.5 lakh.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde later increased this amount to Rs 2,100 and announced plans to recruit 25,000 women police officers.
Despite a narrow margin of 0.4 percent between the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition MVA in the recent Lok Sabha elections, the BJP-led coalition has secured a historic number of seats in the state.
CPI(M) leader Ashok Dhawale attributed the MVA’s defeat to initiatives like the Ladki Bahin scheme and construction worker schemes implemented by the Mahayuti government after the Lok Sabha results.
“There are several factors that need further analysis, but after the Lok Sabha elections, the state government has decided on several schemes such as the Ladki Bahin Yojana, which provides Rs 1,500 per month to women, and some schemes for the construction workers. had an impact on the voters,” Dhawale told PTI.
The direct benefit transfer scheme for women proved decisive in the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh. The BJP’s ‘Ladli Behna Yojana’, implemented under former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, helped retain their power despite perceived benefits from the Congress.
Jharkhand Assembly Elections
When Chouhan became election in-charge of Jharkhand, the BJP promised monthly payments of Rs 2,100 to women if elected.
The incumbent government in August preemptively launched the ‘Maiya Samman Scheme’, offering Rs 1,000 monthly to women aged 21 to 50, potentially benefiting five million women across the state, which appeared to be in favor are from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).
Data from the Electoral Commission shows that the gender gap in election turnout is narrowing. The recent Assembly polls in Maharashtra showed 65.21% women voters versus 66.84% men, compared to 2019’s wider gap of 62.77% male and 59.2% women voters.
In the Jharkhand assembly elections, women voters outnumbered men in both phases, with higher female voter turnout in 68 of the 81 constituencies.
Of the 2.61 crore registered voters, including 1.29 crore women, over 1.76 crore participated. According to Election Commission data, the number of women voters stood at 91.16 lakh, surpassing the male turnout by 5.52 lakh votes.
