Why EC barred Maharashtra govt from releasing Ladki Bahin scheme payment before civic polls

The State Election Commission (SEC) on Monday barred the Mahayuti-led Maharashtra government from releasing the January instalment of the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana ahead of schedule, citing the enforcement of the model code of conduct ahead of municipal elections.

The clarification came after complaints were filed following media reports quoting BJP leader and state minister Girish Mahajan as saying that eligible beneficiaries would receive a consolidated payment of ₹3,000 for December and January before Makar Sankranti on January 14. Mahajan had described the advance payment as a “special gift” from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

With polling for municipal elections scheduled for January 15 and counting on January 16, the SEC sought clarification from Chief Secretary Rajesh Agarwal on whether the government planned to disburse two months’ instalments together just before the vote.

State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare said the poll body had decided not to allow advance payments during the model code of conduct period. “They have given what is due. In addition, the state can’t add new beneficiaries,” he said.

In a statement, the SEC clarified that regular or pending instalments under the scheme may be released, but advance payments would not be permitted. While guidelines allow development works and welfare schemes initiated before the announcement of elections to continue, they prohibit actions that could influence voters.

The Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana is a flagship welfare scheme of the Mahayuti government, providing eligible women aged 18 to 65 with monthly financial assistance of ₹1,500. The programme is widely credited with contributing to the Mahayuti alliance’s victory in the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections.

Opposition parties criticised Mahajan’s announcement, calling it an attempt to influence voters ahead of elections to 29 municipal corporations. Mumbai Regional Congress Committee chief spokesperson Sachin Sawant accused the government of “playing with the feelings of women” and welcomed the SEC’s intervention.

Congress leader and advocate Sandesh Kondvilkar also submitted a complaint to the SEC, alleging that the payment was planned for January 14, a day before polling, and urged the poll body to halt the transfer.

The SEC’s move comes amid heightened scrutiny of welfare announcements during election periods, following similar opposition criticism in Bihar, where cash transfers to women beneficiaries were announced ahead of last year’s assembly elections.