Pune: If the much-delayed Nov payout of Rs1,500 late this week to nearly 2.5 crore beneficiaries under the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana has brought temporary relief to the Mahayuti partners, the uncertainty over the Dec disbursement has created unease, with civic elections less than two weeks away. They fear this could upset women voters, a crucial support base widely credited with powering the alliance’s emphatic victory in the assembly elections last year.“I checked my bank account repeatedly for weeks. The money was finally credited, but now there is no clarity about Dec,” Sunita Patil from Pune district said.A beneficiary from Solapur said she expected both instalments together. “We were told payments would be regular. But the dues for Nov only came, and that too very late,” she said.The development assumed political significance as Maharashtra heads for elections to the 29 municipal corporations on Jan 15, with 2,869 seats at stake.During the assembly polls, data from five districts with the highest Ladki Bahin registrations — Pune, Nashik, Thane, Solapur and Nagpur — showed an increase of over six percentage points in women’s voter turnout compared to the Lok Sabha elections earlier last year. The BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP combine won 230 of the 288 assembly seats. “Local politicians do not want any discontent among their trusted vote bank on account of the delay in payout,” a local BJP member said.Officials said while the Nov instalment was released late this week, the Dec disbursement will depend on clearance from the finance department, which is unlikely to come before the Jan 15 polls due to the model code of conduct. “Funds may have to wait until the elections are over,” a senior state govt official told TOI.Though many officials said the Ladki Bahin Yojana does not directly fall under the code of conduct, the delayed payment and lack of communication have become a concern for ruling alliance members campaigning on the ground. “Women are openly asking about the Dec money during door-to-door visits. Any prolonged silence can hurt,” admitted a Mahayuti politician.Another politician said the delay should not occur at all. “This was an already announced and ongoing scheme. Payment should not be held up,” he said.A member of the opposition alleged that the staggered payment points to a funds crunch. “The state govt does not have the required money for the payout and the delayed Nov installment proves it,” he said.
