Maharashtra News: ‘Is BJP biding time before assembly polls?’ asks Oppn as Eknath Shinde launches ‘Ladki Bahin Yojana’

The Election Commission did not announce the dates for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly Elections on Friday, eliciting criticism from members of opposition parties in the state.

The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), while announcing the poll schedule for Haryana and J&K, cited the need for extra security forces for the J&K polls and the busy festival season in Maharashtra as reasons for this departure from tradition. Usually, Haryana and Maharashtra assembly polls are held together.

A day later, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government officially launched the ‘Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana’ in Pune, which seeks to provide ₹1500 per month to over one crore women in the state.

The state government has already disbursed the stipend into the accounts of over 96 lakh beneficiaries in the last three days. Saturday will mark the official launch of the scheme that was launched soon after the Lok Sabha elections, 2024 and in the run up to assembly polls.

The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) won 30 of the Maharasthra’s 48 seats in the recently-concluded Lok Sabha Elections 2024. The ruling Mahayuti, a part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), bagged just 17 seats.

In 2019, the NDA had won 43 of the 48 seats from Maharashtra while the then UPA had bagged the remaining five seats.

The ‘Ladki Bahin’ initiative was unveiled in Maharashtra state budget in the session that began on June 28, almost a month after Lok Sabha Election results were announced.

The scheme inspired by Madhya Pradesh's successful 'Ladli Behna' scheme that deposits ₹1,250 monthly into the accounts of women, a move introduced by former Chief Minister and now Union Minister,  Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The scheme has been credited with contributing to the BJP's success in securing all 29 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh in the general elections 2024.

Opposition Cries Foul

Many, including leaders from opposition parties, said that the scheme has been brought to woo voters in the upcoming assembly elections in Maharashtra. The tenure of the 288-member Maharashtra legislative assembly tenure of the current government ends on November 26, 2024 which means a new government has to be sworn in before that.

The Maharashtra election is expected to witness a two-way fight between the MVA coalition, of the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP - Sharad Pawar and the Congress, and the Mahayuti Alliance of the BJP, Shiv Sena-Eknath Shinde and NCP-Ajit Pawar.

In 2019 the BJP and undivided Sena coalition had come to power in the state but later split.

Political parties in Maharashtra slammed the Election Commission for not announcing the polls dates for the state. “For all that talk of one nation, one election, the Entirely Compromised Commission (aka Election commission) states constraint on security forces as a reason to not hold elections in Maharashtra, with simultaneous elections in J&K,” Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray said in a post on X.

The Sharad Pawar-led NCP-SP alleged the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti coalition was biding time with the help of the Election Commission as the people of Maharashtra have given them a “drubbing” in the Lok Sabha elections.

“BJP led Mahayuti is biding time with the help of ECI because voters of Maharashtra gave them a drubbing in the Lok Sabha Elections,” NCP national spokesperson Clyde Crasto said.

They want to lure the people into voting them by announcing a schemes and freebies that they know they will not be able to fulfill, Crasto said adding that proof of fooling the people was disclosed by their Mahayuti leader Ravi Rana when he said the 'Ladki Bahen Yojana' money will be taken back if they do not get the votes.

Rana, a BJP MLA, had sparked a row earlier this week by saying that if ‘sisters’ refused to vote for the BJP in the assembly elections, the government would take back ₹1,500.

Political analysts said that the ruling dispensation may want more time for campaign. But, they said, that would also give time to the opposition. “Clearly, BJP might have delayed a little much to sort of set its house in order and get more time for campaigning and launching of schemes. But I think, if there is anger against the present dispensation, it wont go away in just a month,” Rahul Verma, Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research (CPR), told LiveMint. 

Election Commission’s Reason

Earlier Maharashtra and Haryana went to polls together, CEC Rajiv Kumar said on August 17. “Keeping in mind the required security forces for elections and also recent rains in Maharashtra in addition to upcoming festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali etc, we have decided to decouple Maharashtra assembly elections, he said.

The buzz in political circles of Maharashtra is that the elections in Maharashtra will likely be held after Diwali which is first week of November. The new government has to be formed before November 26, anyway. The government has also planned the second installments of the ‘Ladki Bahin’ scheme just before Ganesh Chaturthi or Diwali, according to sources.

Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra assembly, Vijay Wadettiwar was quoted as saying in a report that the possibility elections will be held in November.

"During the Lok Sabha elections, a major accident occurred, and so the Ladki Bahin scheme was brought to improve the situation. By pushing elections further, instability is being created in the state," Wadettiwar told Times of India.