Women moved to the center stage of the Maharashtra Assembly elections with the ruling Mahayuti trying to woo them with direct benefit transfer schemes. The Mahayuti had already implemented the much discussed Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana (Chief Minister Beloved Sisters Scheme) after the alliance's poor show in the Lok Sabha elections this year. It promised to increase the monthly dole from ₹1,500 at present to ₹2,100 on returning to power.
The Ladki Bahin Yojana became a buzzword during campaigns as the ruling coalition parties appealed to women to elect their 'real' brothers from the Mahayuti and not the 'step' brothers from the Maha Vikas Aghadi. The appeal seems to have worked as indicated by the Lokniti-CSDS data which show that more than 80% of women had applied to avail the scheme (Table 1Similarly, more women than men seem to have preferred the Mahayuti in the election. The support to the ruling alliance is even higher among rural women and those who applied to avail the scheme (Table 2As per ECI data, this election also witnessed a large turnout of women voters and bridging of the gender gap.
Earlier studies of the Lokniti indicate that so far women's vote in Maharashtra, both in the LS as well as Assembly elections, has been influenced by the overall regional political dynamics and social identities such as caste and class rather than women voting essentially and independently as women. . It is interesting to see whether the recent election has changed the pattern and whether a new constituency of women essentially as welfare beneficiaries is emerging in the State. With a limited increase in support among women (3% more than men), it may be too early to arrive at such a conclusion, and it might also be an exaggeration to say that the victory of the Mahayuti was shaped by women's vote—although women surely seem to have contributed to that victory.
(Rajeshwari Deshpande teaches at Savitribai Phule Pune University)
Published – November 25, 2024 02:30 am IST