Pre-poll masterstroke, post-poll burden: Ladki Bahin scheme’s Maharashtra journey

Two years back, the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra, then led by Eknath Shinde, announced the Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana with an eye on the crucial women's votes ahead of the Assembly polls. Under this scheme, eligible women beneficiaries will be entitled to Rs 1,500 every month, deposited directly into their bank accounts. The maths was clear: of the 9.5 crore voters in Maharashtra, women accounted for 4.6 crore. About 2.46 crore women in the 21-65 years age group – more than 50 per cent of the total women voters – were eligible for the Ladki Bahin Yojana. Purse strings were loosened, and the NDA alliance reaped the dividends in the state polls, scoring a thumping victory against the Maha Vikas Aghadi, months after the Mahayuti setback in the Lok Sabha election. But populism comes with a price. At the time, the Mahayuti government was willing to overlook the bill. Cut to July 2026: the Mahayuti government led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has dropped 92 lakh beneficiaries, citing non-eligibility. Currently, 1.51 crore women qualify for the Ladki Bahin Yojana – a 37 per cent drop in beneficiaries. For the Maharashtra government, it is a calculated gamble. There are no elections on the horizon, and the ruling coalition faces no major crisis. Key questions unanswered Some key questions, however, remain unanswered. Why did the government enforce the scheme without verification? And why were ineligible beneficiaries allowed for two years? Aditi Tatkare, the state’s Women and Child Development Minister, said that verification of beneficiaries was “cumbersome” given the scope of the scheme. “The administration had also left it to the beneficiaries to conform to terms and conditions of the scheme,” she said. The explanation is hardly convincing, considering that farmers seeking loan waiver come under scrutiny by the state administration before they get the benefit. So, it is no secret that the state government did not want to downsize the populist scheme and antagonise women voters before all elections, including to the local bodies and municipal corporations, were over. Now that the BJP-led coalition has scored the poll points, the state government has turned to secure the coffers. Assuring that the scheme is here to stay, Chief Minister Fadnavis has said, “There is no ambiguity that Ladki Bahin Yojana will continue.” This commitment, however, is driven by political compulsion and the state government is trying to reduce its bills by weeding out ineligible beneficiaries. The Budget challenge Right from its inception, the Ladki Bahin Yojana was a financial challenge for the Maharashtra government. At the time of its launch in June 2024, a massive sum of Rs 46,000 crore was earmarked for the scheme. This left the state government with little legroom, and the Chief Minister had a tightrope walk ahead of him. Even after the downsizing, subject to some course corrections, sources say the annual expenditure for Ladki Bahin Yojana will require between Rs 22000 crore and Rs 25,000 crore. Add to this, the state government has to allocate Rs 25000 crore for free electricity to farmers using agriculture pumps up to 7.5 HP. Then there is loan waiver costing Rs 36,585 crore. Together, these three populist schemes account for an allocation of Rs 1 lakh crore. A source in the state finance department quipped, “Fiscal discipline takes a back seat when it comes to poll politics. Maharashtra is no exception.” The scheme’s side-effects The Ladki Bahin Yojana has also been a flashpoint for the power tussle within the Mahayuti alliance. When it was launched, both the BJP and the Shiv Sena tried to claim credit. Later, when it came to implementation, Sena ministers objected to diversion of funds from their parent department. Shiv Sena minister Sanjay Shirsat has repeatedly said funds from the social justice department were diverted for the direct benefit transfer scheme. Others complained that budget for education, health and housing portfolios reduced due to heavy expenditure on the Ladki Bahin Yojana. In fact, when the scheme was launched, then Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister, late Ajit Pawar, had warned about the long-term ramifications of the populist scheme. But the Shiv Sena and BJP concluded that the scheme would yield electoral advantage. The Mahayuti was on the back foot after the 2024 general election, with the three allies winning a total of 17 seats out of 48 in the state. The opposition bloc, Maha Vikas Aghadi, managed to score 31. The Mahayuti needed a masterstroke that swung a big chunk of votes. Ladki Bahin Yojana did what was needed. The 92 lakh who are out Of the 92 lakh beneficiaries struck off the list, 29,000 are men who claimed the benefits for two years. Also, about 8,000 government employees pocketed the money despite not meeting the scheme’s criteria. A senior BJP minister said, “We knew the scheme would be misused to some extent. And non-qualifying beneficiaries also knew they were taking advantage of the scheme. Where is the question of betrayal?” Admitting that the state government had not hiked allocation from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,100 per month, the minister said, “In the election manifesto, we had not given a specific dateline.” Regardless of what BJP leaders say, the downsizing of Ladki Bahin Yojana and the state government’s failure to hike the allowance will be perceived by a section of women voters as a failed promise. Those whose names have been struck off will be upset. At the BJP’s internal meetings, political strategists have cautioned the leadership about the backlash when benefits are withdrawn. A highly-placed source said, “The BJP will watch how things develop and then come out with a strategy to counter the anti-LBY sentiment.” To begin with, the BJP cadre has been told to visit every village and tell people about the state government’s farm loan waiver and the legislation for women farmers, giving them the right to land title and equal wages. They believe these decisions will help defuse the anger over the downsizing of Ladki Bahin Yojana. The Opposition’s charge The Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP (SP) have launched scathing attacks on the government over the issue. State Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal said, “Ladki Bahin Yojana is a classic case of financial mismanagement. They not only diverted funds to other departments to sustain the scheme, but also allowed its misuse for two years.” Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said, “People should realise BJP/Shiv Sena promises are only for polls. Once their objective was served, they showed their true colours. It was bribing people for votes.” State BJP president Ravindra Chavan shot back, “Our government brought the Ladki Bahin Yojana to empower women. It boosted their confidence. They had access to their own funds and the right to spend.”