From Maharashtra to TN, has 'women first' become best poll bet for parties?

NEW DELHI: Women are the caller kingmakers successful elections. Little wonder, governmental parties person gone each retired to woo them elections aft elections. We person seen this successful Lok Sabha elections, assembly elections and present adjacent successful the civic assemblage polls.With municipal corp elections successful Mumbai, Pune and different regions of Maharashtra adjacent week, the BJP-led Mahayuti authorities has scheduled the recognition of instalments nether the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana connected January 14, conscionable 24 hours earlier the voting begins. Under the scheme, much than 2.5 crore women volition get payments for December 2025 and January 2026, totalling Rs 3,000 per beneficiary.

Maharashtra Congress questions timing As expected, the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee objected powerfully to this pre-poll payout.

It has written to the State Election Commission, alleging that the timing of the payments violates the Model Code of Conduct and requesting that disbursement beryllium deferred until aft polling.But the authorities authorities has powerfully defended its decision. State gross curate Chandrashekhar Bawankule rejected Congress's assertion and said the payments were portion of an ongoing payment strategy and not linked to the predetermination schedule.

"This is an ongoing payment programme of the authorities government. For polls successful 29 civic bodies, women crossed the full authorities cannot beryllium deprived of their rightful benefits," helium told a property conference, adding immoderate effort to stall payments would magnitude to favoritism against women.And its not conscionable the BJP trying to woo women voters up of the civic assemblage polls. The Thackeray cousins, Uddhav and Raj, person besides reached retired to women voters successful their manifesto, promising "Swabhiman Nidhi" of Rs 1,500 per period for location helps and women from the Koli community.The Ladki Bahin Scheme had played a cardinal relation successful the resounding triumph of the BJP-led Mahayuti successful the past asembly elections successful the authorities successful which the opposition's MVA was virtually decimated. This possibly explains wherefore the ruling harvester wants to nonstop a timely reminder to the women voters of the state.Tamil Nadu: Additional payouts up of 2026 pollsThe communicative is nary antithetic successful Tamil Nadu, which goes to polls successful a fewer months to elite a caller assembly. The DMK authorities successful the state, led by main curate MK Stalin, launched the 2nd signifier of the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam (KMUT), expanding the flagship women's rights entitlement strategy to payment an further 17 lakh women crossed the state.The authorities authorities besides announced a one-time further outgo of Rs 1,000 successful December 2025 to beneficiaries of the scheme, which provides monthly assistance of Rs 1,000 to eligible women. The further outgo was credited up of the Pongal festival.Opposition parties, including the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the BJP, which is successful absorption here, person criticised the timing of the outgo alleging it was announced with electoral considerations successful mind. The DMK, similar the Mahayuti authorities successful Maharashtra, stated that the outgo was budgeted and portion of existing payment commitments.Meanwhile, BJP moving president Nitin Nabin asked enactment workers connected Sunday to measurement up their absorption to DMK government, turning section issues into a run tool. He asked them to draught women–centric campaigns focussing connected issues specified arsenic deficiency of information successful the state.The women ballot rushBoth states person brought the spotlight to a signifier present becoming a nationalist inclination - women swinging the electorate. In Bihar assembly elections 2025, women's turnout (71.78%) topped men's (62.98%), propelling NDA to victory. Earlier, Maharashtra's 2024 assembly polls saw akin patterns, with Ladki Bahin yojana being credited for Mahayuti's sweep.As BMC voters enactment up January 15 and Tamil Nadu prepares to ballot successful a fewer months, 1 information remains unchanged: India's "ladki behen" and "penn magal" aren't conscionable beneficiaries anymore.They are present the caller kingmakers and parties, it seems, are acceptable to wage immoderate terms to triumph their vote.