Bihar Poll Battle: Modi vs. Priyanka on Women’ Welfare

With the Bihar Assembly Elections 2025 looming on the horizon, the political landscape in the state is witnessing a high-stakes contest focused intently on the decisive women electorate. This election cycle has been marked by significant welfare announcements and spirited counter-campaigns, underscoring the vital role women voters are expected to play.

PM Modi Launches Massive Women-Centric Scheme

In a major pre-poll move, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday virtually launched the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana (Chief Minister Women Employment Scheme) for Bihar. This initiative, spearheaded by the state’s NDA government (JDU-BJP alliance), saw the direct benefit transfer (DBT) of ₹10,000 each into the bank accounts of 75 lakh women beneficiaries, an action amounting to a total outlay of ₹7,500 crore as the first installment.

The scheme is designed to boost women’s empowerment through self-employment and livelihood opportunities. Each beneficiary, typically one woman per family, receives this initial grant to kickstart ventures in areas like agriculture, handicrafts, tailoring, or small-scale enterprises. Crucially, the scheme promises an additional financial support of up to ₹2 lakh in subsequent phases, contingent on the performance and growth of their entrepreneurial efforts, alongside training in entrepreneurial skills.

Addressing the beneficiaries via video conference from Delhi, PM Modi highlighted the “double-engine government’s” commitment to women’s betterment, asserting that Bihar would soon have the maximum number of ‘Lakhpati Didis’ (women earning at least ₹1 lakh annually) in the country. He also used the occasion to take a swipe at the opposition RJD, claiming that women in Bihar had suffered under the party’s previous rule due to poor law and order and a lack of development.

Priyanka Gandhi Questions Timing, Offers Land Ownership

Minutes after the Prime Minister’s announcement, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who is currently leading the Opposition Grand Alliance’s outreach in Bihar, delivered a sharp counter-pitch, questioning the timing and sincerity of the colossal financial transfer.

Speaking at a ‘Mahila Samvad’ (women’s dialogue) in Patna, Vadra challenged the ruling dispensation, asking why such a large-scale financial grant was being made only weeks before the elections. “The elections are approaching, and they announce they will give you ₹10,000 each. Who has been in government for the last 20 years? Why didn’t they give you ₹10,000 for the last 20 years?” she argued. She further pointed out that the grant was a one-time measure, not a monthly stipend or an increase in institutional support like Anganwari or Jeevika workers’ honorarium.

Priyanka Gandhi then unveiled a key poll promise from the Congress, directly aiming at deeper structural empowerment: guaranteeing land ownership titles in the names of women. She announced that every landless family in Bihar would receive a plot of 3 to 5 decimals of land, with the official ownership deeds registered exclusively in the women’s names. This proposal was met with considerable applause, shifting the debate from short-term financial aid to long-term asset creation and economic security for women.

The Women’s Vote as the Crucial Decider

The intense focus on women’s welfare by both major alliances confirms the segment’s increasingly pivotal role in Bihar’s electoral calculus. The NDA relies on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s legacy of women-centric initiatives, such as the 50% reservation in Panchayati Raj institutions and the bicycle scheme for schoolgirls, which have historically secured significant female backing. The ₹7,500 crore scheme is seen as a direct, major boost to consolidate this support.

Conversely, the Opposition Mahagathbandhan, through leaders like Priyanka Gandhi and RJD’s promise of the Mai Bahin Maan Yojana (which assures financial assistance), is working to tap into discontent over issues like unemployment, inflation, and the delayed delivery of government services. By offering land ownership, the Congress is attempting to create a narrative of genuine, foundational empowerment, contrasting it with what they term the ruling party’s election-driven jumlas (empty promises).

As the election schedule awaits final announcement from the Election Commission, the battle for Bihar is rapidly distilling into a fierce competition for the women’s vote, marked by a fascinating contrast between an immediate, massive financial dole and a promise of enduring asset ownership. The outcome will ultimately be decided by which vision for women’s upliftment resonates most strongly with the state’s female electorate.