The 47% formula: Why BJP and JD(U) are betting big on women in Bihar

In 2020, the NDA won 60.5% of the seats in constituencies where women voters are more than men.

As Bihar braces for the upcoming Assembly election, the BJP and JD(U) have named their candidates with special focus on women.According to the seat-sharing arrangement, JD(U) and the BJP will contest 101 seats each.

Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party-Ram Vilas (LJP-RV) will contest 29 seats while Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Morche Bha (RLM) will each contest six seats.Why did parties focus on women?Both BJP and JDU, the two biggest NDA allies, have fielded 13 women each out of their respective quota of 101 seats.

Among BJP’s women candidates, 7 are sitting MLAs, and 1 was also a candidate in 2020. The JD(U) list also includes 13 women. Of the JD(U) canddiates, 6 are sitting MLAs while 2 have been repeated as candidates. According to the Election Commission’s (EC’s) final electoral roll, Bihar has 7.43 crore voters, including 3.5 crore women, accounting for a little over 47 percent of the electorate.In the 2020 polls, women's turnout stood at 60 per cent, compared to 54 per cent for men. The total turnout was 62.57%. It was 60.4 per cent in the 2015 Bihar elections.In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, 59.4 percent of women voted, compared to 53 per cent of men.

In 2020, the NDA won 60.5% of the seats in constituencies where women voters are more than men. Out of 243 total seats, 119 constituencies had more women than men on the voter list.Since they sometimes outnumber men, women voters in Bihar have become a key factor in determining election outcomes.

Historically, women voters have focused on safety, education, and welfare when they choose their candidates. The NDA government has also launched several other women-focused welfare schemes just before the election — including the Chief Minister’s Women Employment Scheme, which promises Rs10,000 financial aid to 75 lakh women.

The Prime Minister launched the scheme virtually from Delhi. PM Modi urged women voters to ensure that RJD and its allies never returned to power in the state."Women of Bihar suffered a lot under the RJD rule... There were no roads, law and order was pathetic... but now women feel safe and secure under the Nitish Kumar government as the rule of law prevails. Hence, they must ensure that RJD and its allies never return to power," Modi said.

These DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer)schemes have helped parties win elections in states such as Delhi, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and West Bengal. The JD(U) also recently stepped up efforts to showcase Nitish Kumar’s record since 2005 as the chief minister in advancing women’s empowerment.

With women playing a huge role in Nitish's continuing run in power, the party has been showcasing how Kumar empowered his women voters by ensuring their greater participation in governance, job reservations, gender parity in secondary education, and breaking stereotypes in rural institutions.

Meanwhile, Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal's (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav has promised a ‘Mai-Bahin Samman Yojana’. The scheme will offer Rs 2,500 per month to women within a month of forming the government. The RJD has already begun distributing forms.