Ahead of the Assembly elections in Maharashtra, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday announced that it will increase the monthly payments under the Ladki Bahin scheme from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,100 and turn the state into a $1 trillion economy, if voted to power.
The promises are part of the party’s manifesto that was released by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in a rally attended by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai.
The BJP is part of the Mahayuti alliance government in Maharashtra, which comprises the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction and the Nationalist Congress Party faction led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.
The polling for the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly will take place in a single phase on November 20. The counting of votes will take place on November 23, alongside that of the Jharkhand elections.
In its manifesto, the BJP has promised a hike in loan waivers to farmers and said it would ensure food security. The prices of essential commodities would be stabilised, the manifesto said, adding that pension for the aged would be hiked to Rs 2,100 per month.
The party also said that a monthly stipend of Rs 10,000 would be provided to 10 lakh students across Maharashtra. “Additionally, 25 lakh jobs will be created in the state,” the manifesto said. It also promised 30% reduction in electricity bills with a focus on renewable energy.
The goal is to turn Maharashtra into a $1 trillion economy by 2028, the manifesto added.
Speaking at the rally, Shah said that the manifesto reflected the aspirations of the people of the state. “Our manifesto is a strong promise,” he said. “We have fulfilled them whenever we came to power.”
Shah asked voters to “stand with the BJP, Shiv Sena, and Nationalist Congress Party” in the election.
The BJP’s poll promises came days after the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi released its manifesto on November 6.
The alliance comprises the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), Sharad Pawar’s faction of the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress.
It announced that it would provide financial aid of Rs 3,000 per month and free transportation on all government buses to women under the Mahalakshmi scheme, if voted to power. It was not immediately clear if there would be an eligible criteria to avail of the Mahalakshmi scheme.
Apart from this, the Maha Vikas Aghadi also promised to waive farm loans up to Rs 3 lakh for all farmers. The farmers who consistently repay their loans would receive Rs 50,000 as an incentive.
Tensions within the Mahayuti alliance
The BJP’s manifesto on Sunday was released amid tensions between the Hindutva party and Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party.
Earlier this week, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath, among other BJP leaders, shouted the slogan “Batenge toh katenge [If divided, we perish]” during election campaigns in Maharashtra, India Today reported. The slogan is a call for Hindu unity.
Pawar distanced himself from the statement and said that it would not resonate in the state. “I am not supporting it,” he told India Today. “I have said this several times. It will not work in Maharashtra. This may work in Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand or some other places.”
Talking to reporters, Pawar also said that the people of Maharashtra had always strived to maintain communal harmony.
“Maharashtra belongs to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj and Mahatma Phule,” he said. “You cannot compare Maharashtra with other states. The people of Maharashtra do not like this.”
Last month, another row erupted within the alliance after the Nationalist Congress Party fielded former state minister Nawab Malik as its candidate from the Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar seat for the Assembly elections.
After Malik’s nomination, the BJP said it would not campaign for the Nationalist Congress Party candidate and declared the Shiv Sena’s Suresh Krishna Patil, also known as Bullet Patil, as its candidate from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar.
BJP’s Mumbai unit chief Ashish Shelar said that all parties in the Mahayuti alliance had to choose their own candidates.
“However, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and other leaders in the BJP have explained the BJP’s position regarding the nomination of Nawab Malik from the NCP,” India Today quoted him as saying. “Our position is not to promote gangster Dawood Ibrahim and the person related to Dawood’s case.”
Malik was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in February 2022 in a money laundering case involving Ibrahim and his aides. He is currently out on bail.
The Enforcement Directorate’s inquiry against Malik is based on a case filed by the National Investigation Agency against Ibrahim, his sister Haseena Parkar and his aides under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.
The central agency has alleged that Malik bought approximately three acres of land in Mumbai’s Kurla in 1999 and paid Rs 85 lakh, including Rs 55 lakh in cash between 1999 and 2005, to Dawood’s sister. According to the Enforcement Directorate, the property had been usurped from its original owners and sold to Malik in connivance with members of the “gang”, referring to Dawood’s aides.
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