Ahead of Maharashtra polls, NDA to replicate MP’s Ladli Behna scheme in state

Taking a leaf out of its mammoth victory in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership is now planning to impress the voters of Maharashtra by replicating its election winning strategy.

After the lacklustre electoral performance in the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, where the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) faced a stiff challenge from members of the INDIA bloc, the senior BJP leadership has decided to give money directly in the hands of women.

The strategy is significant because the BJP-NDA leadership hopes that just as the Ladli Behna scheme changed the party’s fortunes in Madhya Pradesh, the result will be similar for the BJP and the NDA in Maharashtra, and this strategy will help them counter the electoral and social surge in favour of the INDIA bloc.

Rs 1,500 for women

“The Ladli Behna scheme, which was first implemented in Madhya Pradesh and is now being announced by the Maharashtra government, is a significant step because it will help a large part of the population understand that the BJP-NDA government in the state is working for the welfare of the poor. The scheme is also significant because the BJP has always worked for the welfare of women, and this scheme will directly work in favour of women,” Jaibhan Singh Pawaiya, BJP’s in-charge of Maharashtra, told The Federal.

The ruling NDA government in Maharashtra faced a setback in the state during the Lok Sabha elections when INDIA bloc members won the majority of the Lok Sabha constituencies. The setback is also significant because the state government will now face Assembly elections against the INDIA bloc in November 2024.

Taking note of the upcoming electoral challenge and the outcome of the Lok Sabha elections, the NDA government in Maharashtra has decided to give Rs 1,500 in the hands of women.

Boost to economy

“The step taken by the state government should not be seen only through the prism of politics. Making women financially independent and stable will work for the benefit of the state because this move also means that the money given in the hands of women will be used to buy household stuff, which will boost the local economy. When money is in the hands of such a large population, it will help small businesses and that is just one step in the direction of development,” Pawaiya added.

The impact of the poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections has been such that the NDA government has also promised money in the hands of youth. The state government under Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has also decided that more than 10 lakh youth will get a monthly stipend of Rs 10,000 while doing internship in industry for six months. The decision of the state government is also interesting because Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha, has often talked about giving money in the hands of unemployed youth.

Maratha barrier

The change in strategy of the BJP and NDA partners is taking shape keeping the Assembly elections in mind because the demand by the Maratha community for OBC status has become a hindrance in the BJP’s social engineering formula.

With the Marathas demanding reservation, the BJP and NDA leadership hoped that there would be a consolidation of the different OBC communities in their favour. While the BJP did manage to get a substantial share of the OBC votes, it was not significant enough to counter the social surge in favour of the INDIA bloc.

With only three months to go until the Assembly elections, the NDA government is now hoping that the populist schemes replicated from other states could create electoral magic which would help the ruling alliance retain Maharashtra.

Caste equations

Realising that the NDA has to now contest with the INDIA bloc to protect its crucial electoral and social base, the BJP leadership decided to field Pankaja Munde in the recent MLC elections. The choice of Munde was important because she is the daughter of Gopinath Munde, BJP’s biggest OBC leader in Maharashtra.

“These are the benefits of being in government. If you are in power, you can announce many schemes. There is no doubt that giving money in the hands of women is a good move by the state government and it will help the women, but people also realise that the state government is making these announcements because of the elections,” Ashutosh Kumar, political science professor at Punjab University, told The Federal.

Kumar added that the election of Pankaja Munde was also significant because both Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar belong to the Maratha community, while the other Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis belongs to the Brahmin community, and the BJP leadership needs a strong OBC leader in the state.