Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar projected a united front on Wednesday as they presented a report card on the two and a half years of the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra, which goes to polls on November 20.At a joint press conference held in Mumbai, Shinde, Fadnavis and Pawar, who represent the Shiv Sena, the BJP and the Nationalist Congress Party, respectively, exuded confidence that they would fare better than their opponent, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), in the upcoming elections for 288 Assembly seats.
“The Ladki Bahin Yojana is the game changer. The monthly allowance of Rs 1,500 to 2.5 crore women (in the 18 to 65-year age group) has received an overwhelming response across rural and urban Maharashtra,” Shinde said.After the Lok Sabha polls saw the Mahayuti put up a dismal performance by winning 17 seats as against the MVA’s 30, the Shinde government initiated a course correction by announcing a financial assistance scheme for women to consolidate its vote bank. By reaching out to 2.5 crore women through the Ladki Bahin Yojana, the Mahayuti has covered 50 per cent of the 4.6 crore voters in the state.
“The Opposition MVA is utterly confused. The Opposition has sensed that the ground is slipping under its feet with women and the common man reposing faith in the Mahayuti,” Shinde said. The Ladki Bahin Yojana is a scheme launched by the Maharashtra government to provide financial assistance to women from economically weaker sections. The scheme aims to empower women by providing them with monthly financial assistance of Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,500. The main objective of the scheme is to make women self-dependent and financially stable.