Modi’s 7,500-cr cash transfer pitch: How BJP is banking on women voters in Bihar

In a massive sop for the women of election-bound Bihar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched a cash transfer scheme for 75 lakh women in the state transferring Rs 10,000 each in their bank accounts.

Bihar Mukhyamantri Mahila Rozgar Yohna entailed a cash disbursement of nearly Rs 7,500 crore to the bank accounts of women of the state.

The initial grant of Rs 10,000, the PM said, would be topped up per woman per household to Rs 2 lakh if women show promise in enterprise using initial seed money of Rs 10,000.

Transferring the money virtually today, Modi made a strong outreach to the women of Bihar, saying, "Your brothers Narendra and Nitish are working overtime to secure and advance your dignity."

The scheme builds on BJP's pro-women poll pitch which has yielded huge political dividends for the saffron party in Madhya Pradesh in 2023 and later Maharashtra in 2024.

Ahead of Madhya Pradesh polls in 2023, then Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had predicted a fifth straight term for the BJP in the state, citing support from women. He had touted the Laadli Behna scheme under which 1.23 crore underprivileged married, divorced and widowed women were first given Rs 1,000 monthly cash each which was later raised to Rs 1,250.

The BJP had swept the polls posting the second best performance ever, the best being in 2003 when it had won 173 of 230 assembly seats under Uma Bharti.

In 2023, the BJP bagged 165 out of 230 and a vote share of 48.69 per cent, 9 per cent more than 2018.

Again on the eve of the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections, the BJP announced Laadki Behen Yojna to transfer Rs 1,500 in the accounts of women — a campaign plank that powered yet another historic win for the saffron outfit in the state.

The BJP won 133 seats out of 149 contested — a strike rate of 90 per cent, in its best-ever show. Its allies Shiv Sena and NCP won 57 out of 81 contested and 41 out of 59 contested seats, respectively. Maharashtra has 288 segments.

The BJP repeated the same cash transfer promise in Haryana pledging to give Rs 2,100 per month to women under Lado Laxmi Yojna. Earlier in Chhattisgarh too, the party had announced Mahtari Vandan Yojana to provide Rs 1,000 per month to over 70 lakh women of Chhattisgarh.

In both Haryana and Chhattisgarh too, the BJP had won.

Lately, the same plan worked for the party in Delhi where it had unveiled Mahila Samradhi Yojna for Rs 2,500 monthly cash transfer to women.

Advancing the tried and tested strategy to financially empower women, Modi today said to the women of Bihar, "Your two brothers Narendra and Nitish are working to secure and advance your dignity and pride."

Citing the Ujwala scheme for free gas connections, the Mudra scheme where women are the main loan seekers, PM Aawas scheme where new houses are being registered in the names of women and Ayushman Bharat scheme under which women are developing health seeking behaviour, Modi said women-led development was the BJP-led NDA’s central policy.

"When women advance, the society advances," he said, urging women to take the pledge of "never allowing Bihar to fall upon the dark days of erstwhile RKS rule where lawlessness and naxal violence ruled”.

Recalling the Lalu Yadav-led days in Bihar, the PM said women bore the maximum brunt of "jungle raj" as against the NDA times when "daughters are venturing out fearlessly."

Noting that the NDA government had worked day and night to pull women out of tough times, Modi said, "We must pledge today — “Ab Bihar ko phir kabhi us andhere mein nahi jaane denge” (We will never again let Bihar descend into darkness of RJD rule).

“This is the only way to protect your children from doom,” he added.