The State government’s s “Chief Minister Majhi Ladki Bhagin” scheme, once hailed as a game-changing welfare initiative, has erupted into a political scandal. Months before the State elections, then Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, alongside his deputies Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, funneled a staggering ₹450 crore into the bank accounts of five lakh women. The move, celebrated at the time, helped the BJP-led alliance secure a decisive electoral victory. But now, as the ballots have long been counted, the same beneficiaries have been declared ineligible for the scheme, triggering a storm of outrage.
These five lakh women were part of about 2.5 crore women who benefited from the scheme and government might come out with more orders announcing many other women as ineligible.
The government’s decision to disqualify five lakh women—just weeks after reaping the electoral benefits—has sparked accusations of voter bribery and misuse of public funds. Critics argue the scheme was little more than a calculated political maneuver, veiled in the guise of welfare. Adding fuel to the fire, the government has announced it will not recover the ₹450 crore already disbursed, raising uncomfortable questions about accountability and intent.
Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare defended the move, asserting that the post-election scrutiny was necessary to ensure only eligible women receive benefits. According to Tatkare, the disqualified women failed to meet the scheme’s stringent criteria: some were over the age of 65, others already benefitted from existing welfare programs such as the Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana or the Namo Shakti Yojana, and a few owned four-wheelers, disqualifying them under the income cap of ₹2.5 lakh annually.
The funds given between July and December 2024 will not be reclaimed, Tatkare assured, but these women will no longer receive payments moving forward. The scheme promises a monthly stipend of ₹1,500 to eligible women aged 21 to 65, but critics have questioned the timing of the ineligibility revelation, calling it a politically motivated afterthought.
Betraying public trust
Social activists and opposition leaders have accused the government of betraying public trust and manipulating taxpayers’ money for electoral gain. Opposition leaders have been relentless in their criticism, branding the scheme a “pre-election bribe.” They argue that the government’s sudden realization about the beneficiaries’ ineligibility, conveniently delayed until after the elections, reveals a carefully orchestrated political ploy.
As the controversy deepens, the figure of five lakh ineligible women could grow, with ongoing scrutiny expected to disqualify more beneficiaries.
