The BJP-led NDA in Maharashtra, despite (or because of!) its games of splitting up its two rival political parties – Shiv Sena and NCP – and buying up many of their leaders, MLAs and MPs, suffered a big defeat in the Lok Sabha elections of May 2024, winning only 17 seats out of 48, the remaining 31 seats being won by the INDIA Bloc. Farmers, workers, women and youth were all deeply disgruntled with the BJP-led central and state government as none of their grievances were being addressed. Inflation and unemployment showed no signs of abating.

CHEAP PLOY TO BUY WOMENS’ VOTES

Stung by this defeat, the BJP-NDA state government devised a new strategy to secure a consolidated vote bank of women ahead of the Vidhan Sabha elections six months later in November 2024. They introduced the ‘Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana’ (Chief Minister’s Beloved Sister Scheme), targeting women who rarely have much personal income at their disposal. Under this Scheme, a monthly allowance of Rs 1,500 was announced for all women aged 21 to 65 who had an annual income of less than Rs 2.5 lakh.

Announced in June 2024, the scheme saw a lump sum of Rs 7,500, covering five months from July to November 2024, credited to each beneficiary's account in October, just ahead of the Diwali festival. As many as 2.58 crore women received this sudden windfall. While getting benefits from government schemes takes months, in this case it was instant benefit! As expected, the Election Commission turned a blind eye to these freebies.

The BJP-led government also promised an increase in this amount to Rs 2,100 per month if it was re-elected. Women were delighted; the swift implementation of the scheme led them to believe that the Chief Minister will really live up to his brotherly bond. Consequently, women voted overwhelmingly for these "brothers" and helped bring them back to power. (After this scheme, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis coined a term 'Deva Bhau' for himself!)

That time itself, our AIDWA activists made strenuous efforts to explain to women that this scheme was nothing but a pure ‘jumla’, a cheap ploy to buy votes. While the government was placating them with Rs 1,500, it had simultaneously driven up monthly living expenses by Rs 15,000 through high inflation. The validity of those warnings is becoming evident now.

The BJP-led NDA state government rode this wave to victory, with a whopping 235 out of 288 seats, with the INDIA Bloc far behind at just 49! This was an unbelievable turnaround from the Lok Sabha results in the state just six months ago! Apart from these populist measures, a massive Vote Chori was also done, which has been meticulously documented. Without that, such a massive shift in voter sentiment within just six months would have been impossible.

OUTRIGHT DECEPTION BY GOVERNMENT

However, the state government soon began to find the monthly payout of Rs 1,500 to these 2.58 crore women a financial burden. Reckless spending had depleted the state exchequer. Consequently, the government gradually started excluding these 'beloved sisters' (Ladki Bahins) from the scheme, citing various reasons. In July 2026, a staggering 92 lakh women (the state government officially gave this figure as 81 lakh) were excluded from the scheme. The Indian Express, after studying the Maharashtra Women and Child Development Minister’s statement and studying other government records, came to the 92-lakh figure.

The report stated the reasons for exclusion as follows: 62 lakh failed to complete their e-KYC; 16 lakh had an annual income exceeding Rs 2.5 lakh; 4.4 lakh had government employees in their family; 3.6 lakh were receiving another specified government pension, 2.5 lakh had more than one beneficiary in a family; 1.8 lakh were above 65 years of age; 1.7 lakh had district verification problems; and 14,000 were excluded because they were men! The affected women themselves were never directly informed about their exclusion.

The website for KYC is closed since June 2026. Today, only 1.66 crore women are receiving the benefits of this Scheme, that too not regularly, clearly implying that the Rs 78,700 crore spent by the government on this Scheme was essentially used to buy votes. This deception caused deep resentment among women; they felt betrayed on two fronts – financially and emotionally, given the 'brotherly' bond that had been projected.

AIDWA LAUNCHES MASS STRUGGLE

In this situation, the AIDWA in Maharashtra decided to champion the cause of these women who had so cynically been excluded from the Scheme. It conducted surveys across the state and organised large conventions at the district level. So far, conventions for women excluded from the scheme have been held in the districts of Thane-Palghar (in eight tehsils), Mumbai (three tehsils), Nashik (three tehsils), Ahilyanagar, Solapur, Sangli, Kolhapur, Satara, Pune, Raigad, Wardha, Amravati, Chandrapur, Yavatmal, Parbhani (two tehsils), Beed, and Nanded. In all these districts together, over 19,000 women have been mobilised; Thane-Palghar district alone saw over 10,000 women come together. Ahilyanagar district saw an impressive 2,000-strong women’s rally. Other districts mobilised between 100 to 500 each in their conventions. 

The AIDWA has now resolved to stage a mass statewide protest at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan on November 3, 2026, to hold Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ government accountable. Vigorous preparations for this protest are now underway across the state. This huge rally will be addressed by AIDWA Patron Brinda Karat, AIDWA President P K Sreemathi, and AIDWA Vice President Mariam Dhawale. The Maharashtra unit of the AIDWA is gearing up for a powerful blow to the state government with a turnout of more than 10,000 women. Fraternal organizations like the AIKS and CITU – specially the scheme workers – ASHA, Anganwadi, and Mid-Day Meal Workers Unions, PESA Mobilisers are also extending support to this massive women's movement. There is no doubt that the BJP-led state government will witness the wrath of the ‘Ranaraginis’ (warrior women) seeking retribution for this insult and deception!