‘Election stunt’: Anger, confusion among Maharashtra women as Ladki Bahin payments falter

Varsha Vinod Kopde has visited her bank twice since January to check if the sum of Rs 1,500 promised to her by the Maharashtra government has been credited to her account.

The money transfer under the Ladki Bahin Yojana was a crucial factor in shaping Kopde’s decision to vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party in the assembly elections held in November. It is widely believed to have propelled the BJP and its allies to a landslide victory in Maharashtra.

But two months after the new government took over, the 25-year-old housewife from Bramhapuri district is disappointed. “I feel bad that the money that was promised to us is not coming,” she said, referring to the January and February deposits that have still not been made.

Kopde’s husband works in a utensil shop. There are five members in her family, including her two children. With the Ladki Bahin money, she was able to buy rations for the family and have her son treated in a private hospital when he fell ill last year. Kopde says her family’s income is less than Rs 2.5 lakh, a prerequisite to avail the scheme, and the family does not benefit from any other government scheme.

“But despite being eligible, the money is not...

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