Bihar mandate: The Rs 10,000 scheme for women that shifted the tide

In both Maharashtra and Bihar, women-focused schemes translated into significant electoral gains

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is heading for a historic win in Bihar with trends showing it is well on its way to bag a massive 205 seats in the 243-member Bihar Assembly. Counting is currently underway for the Assembly polls, which was held in two phases on November 6 and 11.

At the centre of the sweeping mandate appears to be ‘M’ or the mahila factor, with women voters outnumbering men in the recent Bihar Assembly elections.

At the heart of the ‘mahila’ wave were targeted welfare schemes – from Rs 10,000 cash deposits under Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana to the Jeevika Didi scheme, aimed at the social and economic empowerment of the rural poor.

In Maharashtra, the Ladki Bahin Scheme credited Rs 1,500 per month to women voters in the run-up to the October 2024 Assembly polls. Rolled out three months before voting, it led to a total transfer of Rs 4,500 to each beneficiary just days before the elections.

A year later in Bihar, the NDA adopted a similar strategy, transferring Rs 10,000 to over one crore women under the ‘Mukhyamantri Mahila Rozgar Yojana’. The money was deposited shortly before polling, a move that analysts say strengthened chief minister Nitish Kumar’s welfare-first image among voters.

Announced by chief minister Nitish Kumar on August 29, the scheme promises Rs 2.10 lakh in instalments to women entrepreneurs to start small enterprises such as stores, dairies, tailoring units, beauty parlours or art-and-craft ventures.

The Mukhyamantri Mahila Rozgar Yojana seems to have paid off as women’s voter turnout at 71.78 per cent overpowered men’s at 62.98 per cent, according to a statement by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

In both Maharashtra and Bihar, women-focused schemes translated into significant electoral gains. The NDA secured 230 of Maharashtra’s 288 seats, while early Election Commission trends in Bihar indicate an NDA lead in 205 of the 243 constituencies.