Opposition Parties Target Promotional Expenditure Of ₹200 Cr On Maharashtra's 'Ladki Bahin Yojna'

The Ladki Bahin Yojana, launched by the Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti government in Maharashtra, offers ₹1,500 per month to women from economically weaker families. The scheme, modeled on a similar initiative that contributed to the BJP’s re-election in Madhya Pradesh, is being positioned as a key electoral strategy. The government has allocated ₹46,000 crore for the welfare scheme, with nearly ₹200 crore already spent on promotions through electronic, print, and digital media, according to RTI activist Ajay Bose. He predicts that the total expenditure on campaigns and rallies may reach ₹500 crore. While BJP leader Prasad Lad defended the campaign as necessary to spread awareness at the grassroots level, opposition leaders, including Aaditya Thackeray, criticized the spending as wasteful. Thackeray suggested that the funds would have been better utilized by directly benefiting the scheme’s intended recipients. The Shinde government has set aside around ₹1 lakh crore for various welfare schemes this year, banking on them to secure electoral success in the upcoming November 20 elections. With public attention divided between support and criticism, the Ladki Bahin Yojana remains at the center of Maharashtra’s political landscape.