Parties banking on women for poll gains in Bihar

With the Assembly elections in Bihar just weeks ahead, political parties have put their focus on caste-neutral women voters by announcing several exclusive welfare measures for them and mulling over giving them tickets in more number, apparently to woo their crucial votes.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday transferred ₹10,000 to the bank account of 25 lakh women across the State under Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojna. Earlier on September 26, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had done the same under the same scheme, through video conferencing, to 75 lakh women.

Under the scheme, a woman of each family is given the opportunity to start a business of her own choice. So far, a total of ₹10,000 crore has been transferred to the accounts of 1 crore women beneficiaries in the poll-bound State. As of January 2025, women accounted for 48% of Bihar’s electorates, and over 1 crore of them have registered under the scheme, which is open to women aged between 18 and 60 years. On the occasion, the Chief Minister of Bihar also announced that the financial assistance to the remaining eligible women would be transferred to their accounts on October 8, 2025.

The Chief Election Commissioner of India reached Patna on Friday along with a team of officials to assess the poll preparedness in the State for two days. After returning to Delhi, he is expected to announce the dates of upcoming Assembly election in the State. The new government in the State has to be formed on or before November 22 later this year.

The principal ruling NDA allies – JD(U) and BJP – in Bihar, have, of late, been announcing several welfare schemes targeted for women. Similarly, the Opposition Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) allies like Rashtriya Janata Dal and Congress, too have been following the footsteps to woo the caste-neutral women voters in Bihar, a group that has consistently outnumbered male voters in the State, since 2010. In the 2020 Assembly election, as many as 62 women candidates contested, out of which 26 emerged victorious. In 2024 Lok Sabha elections women accounted for 59.45% against men’s 53% voter turnout. Similarly, in 2019 parliamentary elections out of the total voter turnout of 57.33%, the women voters accounted for 59.58% against 54.09% men voters.

In the 2015 Assembly elections, the voter turnout among women was 60.48% against 53.32% among men, contributing to an overall turnout of 56.88%. In the 2010 Assembly election, 54.49% was the women’s turnout, while that of men was just 51.12%. In 2015, there were 28 women MLAs in state assembly while in 2010 the number was 34.

In last 2020 Assembly election, BJP had given party tickets to 13 women candidates out of which 9 had won the poll while, the alliance partner JD(U) had put 22 women in the fray and of them 6 had won the poll. Similarly, RJD had put 16 women candidates in poll arena but, only 7 had won their seats while, Congress had given 7 party tickets to women, out of which 4 had won the poll. The other smaller parties too have fielded women candidates.

“With the women voters consistently outnumbering men voters in the past elections in Bihar, all political parties have now started promising slew of schemes to woo them”, said political analyst N. K. Choudhary.

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“Bihar has total 10.75 lakh women Self-Help Groups (SHGs). Members of these groups are also known as Jivika Didis and they act as a ‘strong link’ between the ruling party JD(U) and women voters, making the party as the political force in the State”, a senior JD(U) leader and Minister in Nitish Kumar’s Cabinet preferring anonymity told The Hindu.

Earlier, the RJD and Congress parties (of Mahagathbandhan) had announced the Mai Bahin Samman Yojna under which a monthly financial assistance of ₹2,500 to women coming from financially vulnerable and backward communities was announced “when the coalition would form the government in the State”.

Similarly, the newly formed Jan Suraaj Party founded by former poll strategist Prashant Kishor had, earlier, announced to provide 40 of the total 243 seats in the Assembly to women candidates in the upcoming elections. The party on Friday, has declared to release the first list of party candidates on October 9.