Ladki Bahin scheme a game changer for Mahayuti in Pune
The Mahayuti Alliance's Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana boosted women voter turnout in Pune, helping it win 18 of 21 assembly seats amid a 8.78% rise in female voters.
In Pune district, which witnessed an unprecedented turnout of women voters during the assembly poll, the Mahayuti Alliance flagship initiative Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana became a “major game changer” during the assembly elections.
The Mahayuti alliance in Pune district won 18 seats out of the 21 seats and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) got two seats and one independent candidate.
After the drubbing it got in the Lok Sabha elections, the ruling Mahayuti alliance launched the Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana with the aim of wooing female voters. Built on the model of the phenomenally successful Ladli Behna Yojana in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, the scheme was launched just weeks after the Mahayuti’s drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls.
This scheme is for women aged between 21 and 60 years whose families have an annual income of less than ₹2.5 lakh. The Mahayuti alliance announced that the amount of the scheme will be hiked to ₹ 2,100 per month if the alliance comes back to power. The scheme helped the Mahayuti alliance built a new demographic of supporters who helped it script a remarkable comeback, flatten regional vagaries and ideological worries, and create a fresh base that rose above caste and faith.
During the poll, Pune district which has 21 constituencies witnessed a large number of women of all ages queuing up to cast their votes. As per the official figures in Pune city and district, the proportion of women voters has significantly increased compared to the Lok Sabha elections. There has been an approximate 8.78% rise in the number of women voters, with a growth of around five lakh in this assembly poll. The heightened enthusiasm among women voters on polling day is reflected in the voting statistics, making it clear that women’s votes will play a decisive role in electing the new MLAs in Pune. In five assembly constituencies within the city, the percentage of women voters is higher compared to men.