Delhi Elections 2025: Arvind Kejriwal borrows BJP playbook in bid to woo women voters

The Aam Aadmi party on Thursday announced the launch of the Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana, promising Rs 2,100 per month to women aged above 18 if AAP returns to power in Delhi. (File Photo: PTI)

Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday announced the launch of the Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana, that entitles women above the age of 18 years to receive Rs 1,000 per month in their bank accounts, while promising that the payout will be increased to Rs 2,100 if the AAP returns to power in the capital.

The scheme received a go-ahead from the Delhi Cabinet led by Chief Minister Atishi this morning, paving the way for its implementation. "I had promised that I will give Rs 1,000 to every woman. This proposal was passed in the cabinet meeting chaired by Atishi this morning. Now this scheme has been implemented in Delhi," Kejriwal announced before a gathering of women in Delhi.

"Elections will be announced in 10-15 days, so it is not possible to transfer money to the account right now. Some women said that Rs 1,000 will not be enough due to inflation. Therefore, registration will start from tomorrow for Rs 2,100 per month," he added.

The announcement specifically targeting women voters comes just ahead of the Assembly elections scheduled to be held in February next year where Kejriwal's AAP will make a bid for its fourth term in power.

While the last two elections proved to be a breeze for the party which bagged 67 and 62 seats out of 70 in the 2020 and 2025 elections, respectively, the upcoming elections come after a tumultuous term for the ruling dispensation.

Several of the top ministers of the government, including Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, faced arrests and even jail time in connection with the liquor policy case. Kejriwal and Sisodia had to step down as CM and Deputy CM, respectively.

With elections around the corner, the AAP believes it is crucial to consolidate support among women voters given that the party's perception has taken a hit within this section of the electorate. With the promise of a Rs 2,100 payout coupled with the scheme providing free bus travel for women, the AAP hopes it can turn the negative perception around in time ahead of polls.

The AAP's bid to focus on women, however, is not just driven by its apprehensions around the likely electoral impact of the liquor scam. It also takes inspiration from the recent electoral successes of the BJP in Maharashtra as well as the JMM in Jharkhand.

The BJP's victory in Maharashtra, largely attributed to the popularity of the 'Ladki Bahin Yojana' (borrowed from Madhya Pradesh's Laadli Behen Yojana', is a case in point for AAP. The scheme promising a payout of Rs 2,100 per month to women above 18 years old, is strikingly similar to the ones applied by the BJP in MP and then in Maharashtra.

Not only did these schemes gain popularity among women, they also enabled the BJP to register a striking comeback from the debacle it faced in the Lok Sabha elections in the western state.

A recent snap poll conducted by C-Voter shows a slight edge to the BJP over AAP in Delhi. The survey finds that the liquor policy case has had an impact on voters in the capital besides suggesting an adverse impact of the recent election results on the fortunes of the AAP, BJP, Congress and others.

The survey further shows that a large section of BJP voters (46%) feel that women-centric schemes will have an impact on the Delhi electoral outcome as compared to 34.2 percent for the AAP.

Additionally, 40.1 percent of voters consider pollution a decisive factor in the Delhi elections while more than half of the voters surveyed (52.2%) believe that the arrest of Kejriwal has created sympathy for the AAP.