Probably a contributor, but not a proven game-changer on its own. The Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana put a visible monthly cash benefit within reach of eligible women just months before Maharashtra voted in November 2024. Women’s turnout rose, and an exit poll estimated stronger Mahayuti support among women than men. Neither finding proves that the scheme caused the turnout increase or changed enough votes to decide the result.
What did Ladki Bahin offer before the election?
Launched in June 2024, the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana offered eligible women a monthly direct benefit transfer of ₹1,500. That placed the benefit close to the November Assembly election, making it a prominent and timely welfare measure. The Maharashtra Economic Survey records the June launch. Maharashtra Economic Survey
A Pune district government page dated July 1, 2024, describes the eligibility criteria. Applicants had to be Maharashtra residents aged 21–65, from families with annual income no higher than ₹250,000, and have an Aadhaar-linked bank account, subject to further criteria. Eligible categories included married, widowed, divorced, abandoned or destitute women, as well as one unmarried woman per family. This was not a universal payment to every woman in the state. Pune district administration: scheme details
Did women’s turnout increase?
Yes. The Indian Express, citing Election Commission of India data, reported that women’s turnout in Maharashtra rose from 59.26% in the 2019 Assembly election to 65.21% in 2024—a 5.95 percentage-point increase. It reported that 30,649,318 women voted in 2024, 5,258,671 more than in 2019, with particularly large increases in several Mumbai-region districts. The Indian Express: women’s turnout in 2024
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That establishes a change in participation, not its cause. Turnout figures do not tell us whether a woman voted because of Ladki Bahin, whether she supported the Mahayuti alliance, or how she would have voted without the scheme. Other changes between elections may also affect turnout.
What does the exit poll suggest about vote preference?
Axis My India’s November 21, 2024 exit-poll report estimated that 50% of women supported the Mahayuti, compared with 46% of men. It said Ladki Bahin and the state government’s pro-poor image resonated with voters, while also identifying other group and regional patterns. These are exit-poll estimates, not official final results or proof that the scheme caused a particular voting choice. Axis My India: Maharashtra exit poll 2024
Why can’t the scheme be credited with the result alone?
The Mahayuti won more than 230 of the Assembly’s 288 seats, according to a 2026 Indian Express retrospective. The size of the victory makes the scheme’s potential political contribution significant, but the result itself cannot isolate the effect of any single policy. The Indian Express: retrospective on Ladki Bahin and the election
Post-election analysis by India Today treated cash transfers as one of four broad factors in the outcome, alongside caste dynamics, farm issues and communal polarisation. It also discussed other welfare promises and campaign dynamics. That points to a multi-factor explanation rather than a single-policy cause. India Today: factors behind the Maharashtra result
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What happened to the scheme after the vote?
The 2026 Indian Express retrospective reported that about 2.47 crore women were enrolled before the election, while the count had fallen to 1.66 crore by March 2026. It attributed the later reduction to the government’s stated verification and scrutiny, while noting opposition allegations that the scheme was being rolled back. Those later figures and disputes concern subsequent administration; they do not establish what motivated voters in 2024.
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