Mahayuti’s Ladki Bahin Scheme: A Game-Changer for Women’s Empowerment in Upcoming LS Polls | Mumbai News – Times of India

Anita Sahu is a housewife from Kalyan’s Anupam Nagar who does tailoring jobs to add to the family’s income. Her husband is a peon in a transport company and they have two sons, one in college and the other in Class 6. This year, Diwali will be sweeter because she has received Rs 7,500 since Aug from the state’s Mukhya Mantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, which provides a stipend of Rs 1,500 per month for underprivileged women.
“I have used some for my son’s college fees and saved the rest for an emergency,” says 39-year old Sahu.
The stipend has also helped former sex worker Manisha (name changed) who had moved from the red-light area of Kamathipura to Kalwa in Thane once her son hit his teens. Manisha sells fruits and mobile phone accessories to earn a living.
“I used the Ladki Bahin money to help pay my rent and also to apply for my son’s two-wheeler driving license,” says the 46-year old.
Manisha hopes the Mahayuti govt returns to office and continues the scheme. “We need the money. The opposition may not continue the scheme,” she feels.

Sangita Shelar from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar has used the stipend to invest in an LIC policy for her one-year-old daughter. Fifty-year-old Maya Waghmare, a waste-picket from Kondhwa has been able to put aside some money in savings. “I hope whichever govt comes to power, continues the scheme,” she points out.
After suffering a setback in Lok Sabha polls where it won only 17 of 48 seats, the Mahayuti govt introduced major sops in its last budget ahead of state polls. Of these, the Ladki Bahin scheme, set to cost Rs 46,000 crore a year, has been pitched as its game-changer. The programme is patterned on MP govt’s Ladli Behna scheme which helped BJP return to power in the state in 2023.
Across the state, it’s clear the scheme’s money has reached a large number of beneficiaries and is popular. By Oct 15, when the code of conduct came into force, over 2.3 crore women had got the stipend in their bank accounts. Many had received 5 stipends worth Rs 7,500 in 3 instalments. The instalments began rolling out in Aug, with the Nov stipend delivered in Oct to beat the poll code.
Will the scheme, coupled with other sops for women unveiled by govt, help the Mahayuti turn its LS fortunes around and secure victory? The state also announced three free gas cylinders for 52 lakh households, a scholarship scheme for EWS girls and utensils worth Rs 10,000 for domestic workers.
Observers said the vote-share difference between the two alliances during the LS polls was negligible (43.5% for Mahayuti and 43.7% for MVA). In such a scenario, a small swing towards Mahayuti could make a large impact.
The rise in women voters makes this a segment no party can ignore. Maharashtra has 9.6 crore voters, 4.98 crore men and 4.67 crore women. The gender ratio in women voters has risen from 929 in 2011 to 933 in 2024. Five districts have more female than male voters.
Leaders from Mahayuti say the scheme has helped close the gap between alliances. “Mahayuti was trailing but the scheme has brought it into competition with MVA,” says an NCP leader.
He says the scheme could play a major role in contests where margin is low. “If there’s a close contest in a seat, sops will play a key role. This will also hold true if there is a close contest of 25-30 seats between MVA and Mahayuti,” he adds.
But others say there are limits to the extent sops can work. K C Rao’s BRS lost power in Telangana despite offering sops.
It’s also not clear if the Ladki Bahin scheme will blunt voter anger stemming from agrarian distress and price rise. The low price of cotton and soyabean crop continues to remain a key issue in Vidarbha and Marathwada. The state is also grappling with the Maratha-OBC rift over quotas and anger among STs over the Dhangar community’s demand to be part of its quota.
Swati Nikude, 30, a househelp from Nagpur, had a mixed reaction. She said, “Ladki Bahin instalments have helped me pay back some of my house rent debt. I haven’t cut down on my work as expenses keep rising, and while I think these schemes will continue, I worry they may create a dependence that discourages hard work and makes people rely on govt. Even with such support, we face rising costs for fuel, groceries, cooking oil, and daily necessities. I doubt the opposition will maintain these programs. Instead of introducing schemes I feel govt should focus on controlling inflation.”