Arvind Kejriwal
In the nation’s changing political landscape, women now not only vote but play a role in creating and disrupting power. Women not only vote more than men, but they also vote for the candidate of their choice. This is why women who were considered silent turned out to be power-throwing voters, seeing this, Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal took a big initiative to win women votes ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections.
Arvind Kejriwal announced the Delhi government’s ‘Mahila Samman Yojana’ scheme, under which women will get a monthly subsidy of Rs 2,100. Aam Aadmi Party workers will go door-to-door in Delhi from Monday to fill the registration forms for the Mahila Samman Yojana. Along with this, we will register for the ‘Sanjeevani Yojana’. For this, Aam Aadmi Party workers will personally go to Delhi to fill the forms door-to-door instead of lining up and visiting offices.
Kejriwal’s big statement for women
The Delhi government had announced the ‘CM Mahila Samman Yojana’ in the 24-25 budget in which it announced a monthly payment of Rs 1,000 to all women above 18 years of age, but Kejriwal said that if his party comes to power. If she comes back, she will get Rs 2,100 per month. Kejriwal said this will provide financial help to the daughters and women of Delhi. In Delhi, there are many daughters who interrupt their college studies due to financial constraints after completing class 12th. With this Rs 2,100, she will be able to continue her studies and help her pursue higher education.
Kejriwal’s offer of Rs 2,100 per month under the Mahila Samman Yojana ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections may prove to be a masterstroke for the Aam Aadmi Party. Kejriwal’s announcement could further boost the party’s popularity among the poor and slum dwellers. Aam Aadmi Party’s bet on giving Rs 2,100 to women may have an impact on Delhi politics, that’s not to say, but the results of Maharashtra, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh assembly elections must have happened .
Mahila Yojana changes outcomes in many states
In Madhya Pradesh, the then CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan changed all political equations by announcing Rs 1,250 to every woman under the ‘Ladli Brahmin Yojana’ ahead of the 2023 assembly elections. The BJP tried the same formula in Haryana and Maharashtra assembly elections and succeeded. Now, Kejriwal is also venturing into the same formula in the Delhi elections, which may prove to be politically helpful for the Aam Aadmi Party.
How much respect is there in which state of the country?
Programs for women are ongoing in many states in the country. Under these schemes, the state government strives to provide a fixed financial amount to women every month. Maharashtra’s Mahayutty government had previously given out Rs 1,500 per month under the Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, but after returning to power, it promised to give out Rs 2,100 per month. The BJP-led Fadnavis government will give Rs 2,100 per month to women.
In Madhya Pradesh, women under the “Ladli Brahmin Yojana” get a monthly subsidy of Rs 1,250. CM Mohan Yadav announced that the amount of the scheme will be increased from Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000. Currently, 12,905, 457 women are benefiting from Ladli Behna Yojana in Madhya Pradesh. In Odisha, the BJP government provides Rs 10,000 every year to women under Subhadra Yojana. In Karnataka, the Congress government has launched the “Griha Lakshmi Yojana” scheme under which women will receive Rs 2,000 per month.
Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the Hemant Soren government is running the Maanya Samman Yojana, where earlier women could get Rs 1,000, but now the government has increased this amount to Rs 2,100. The Haryana BJP government had promised to provide Rs 2,100 per month to women before the elections and the CM Nayab Singh Saini government will take steps to fulfill its promise in the 2025 budget. In Assam, the BJP provides Rs 1,250 per month to women under the Arunodoi scheme. In Tamil Nadu, women receive Rs 1,000 per month under the Magalir Urimai Thogai scheme, while in West Bengal, women receive Rs 1,000 per month under the Lakshmi Bhandar scheme, which Mamata Banerjee has promised to increase to Rs 1200 per month.
Bihar will hold assembly elections next year. RJD leader and former deputy prime minister Tejashwi Yadav has promised Mai-Bahin Maan Yojana for women. Tejashwi Yadav said that if our government is formed in Bihar, then within one month of formation of the government, we will deposit Rs 2,500 directly into the accounts of women under Mai-Bahin Maan Yojana. This will give you 2500 rupees every month. In this series, the Aam Aadmi Party also announced a monthly distribution of Rs 2,100 to women in Delhi.
Women’s voting pattern changes
Voting patterns for women in the country have changed dramatically, and women now have the power to make or break power. The share of women voting has also increased in the past few elections. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, women voted 1% more than men. The voting pattern for 2024 will be the same. From Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Nitish Kumar and Mamata Banerjee in Bihar, they are all maintaining their grip on the women vote.
The Modi government has focused all its programs on women. As Prime Minister Modi himself said, women voters also played an important role in the victory of the BJP. Nitish Kumar also proposed prohibition laws to strengthen the women vote bank and the role of women voters was also cited as the reason behind Mamata Banerjee’s victory in West Bengal. Apart from this, the BJP is also trying hard to win over women voters in many states.
What will prove to be a coup for Delhi?
Delhi is a metropolitan state. The education level and per capita income here are among the best among the states in the country. In Delhi, women walk step by step with men and make their own decisions. The level of voting awareness is higher than in rural areas. Since it is a city seat, the percentage of women voting here is quite good. This can also be seen from the data of the Electoral Commission.
In the last assembly elections in Delhi, 62.62% of men and 62.55% of women voted. It follows that women do not lag behind men in voting. In this case, Chief Minister Mahila Samman Yojana’s move may be effective for the Aam Aadmi Party as women are openly using the vote. Due to developments and electoral reforms in the country, women’s voting percentage is increasing. Kejriwal decided to give Rs 2,100 to women ahead of Delhi elections. With Kejriwal’s announcement, Delhi’s political landscape is likely to change dramatically again.
