Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin  Rs 2,100 pm, If Voted To Power: Eknath Shinde

MUMBAI/ KOLHAPUR, 5 NOVEMBER, 2024 (GPN): Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde on Tuesday promised expansions to welfare programmes, including an increase in women-centric Ladki Bahin Yojana’s monthly allowance from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,100 per beneficiary if the Mahayuti alliance is re-elected in the Nov 20 assembly elections.

Shinde launched the alliance manifesto at a public meeting in Kolhapur North, Maharashtra. He was also accompanied by his Deputy Chief Ministers, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar.

The Mahayuti government comprises of Shinde’s Shiv Sena, the BJP, Ajit Pawar-led NCP, and smaller allied parties in the state.

Speaking at Kolhapur’s Merry Weather Ground, Shinde promised the recruitment of 25,000 women into the police force, stabilisation of essential goods prices, and increased grants for Anganwadi workers to Rs 15,000 a month.The alliance has pledged to improved the welfare of Anganwadi and ASHA workers in its manifesto, by a wage increase to Rs. 15,000 per month, alongside enhanced security coverage.He announced plans to generate 25 lakh jobs and provide a Rs 10,000 stipend for one lakh youths. At an rally in Satara’s Koregaon, he criticised opposition alliance MVA, claiming it would halt 11 public welfare schemes if elected.

Eknath Shinde tweeted, The Mahavikas Aghadi during its two-and-a-half-year tenure only ventured to shut down schemes and projects. They stopped the Jalyukta Shiwar Yojana started by Devendraji, they stopped the Metro, stopped the work of Atal Setu, stopped the work of Coastal Road, obstructed the work of Samriddhi Highway. But after removing all these obstacles, we started and completed all public utility projects. In two-and-a-half years, they granted approvals to only 4 irrigation projects, while we granted 124 irrigation grants in two years and brought lakhs of hectares of land under irrigation. Yasama also mentioned that the lives of about one lakh citizens were saved by giving 350 crores in two years from the Chief Minister’s Assistance Fund.

In a series of campaign rallies, Shinde outlined a 10-point programme to be implemented. For farmers, the manifesto includes a farm loan waiver and an expansion of the Shetkari Samman Yojana, which would see annual financial assistance for farmers increase from Rs. 12,000 to Rs. 15,000. A 20% subsidy on the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for agricultural produce is also part of the proposal. and a 30% reduction in electricity bills for all categories of consumers.

Shinde said the opposition had labelled the Ladki Bahin scheme as a “chunavi jumla” (election trick) and suggested it would cancel the scheme if in office. “But no one can stop the schemes,” he asserted, adding that Nov instalment of the Ladki Bahin allowance would be deposited into beneficiaries’ accounts in December.

About 50 rebel candidates belonging to the incumbent Mahayuti as well as the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) are in the fray for the November 20 Maharashtra Assembly elections, even though both the coalitions mounted all attempts to persuade them to withdraw their nomination against their official faces.

Of these rebels, 26 are from the Mahayuti – comprising the BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP – and 18 are from the MVA which includes the Congress, Uddhav Thackeray-headed Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar-led NCP(SP). Both the camps are also caught in around six “friendly fights”.

Barring a few seats, these rebels are contesting as Independents from across the state. In some of the constituencies, the rebels may damage the prospects of the official candidates of their parties or its allies.

In the ruling alliance, 13 rebels from the BJP are contesting against the Shinde Sena and NCP; 12 Shinde Sena rebels are taking on the other two partners; and one rebel is from the NCP, Sameer Bhujbal, who quit the party to file nomination as an Independent against the Shinde Sena’s sitting MLA Suhas Kande in the Nandgaon seat.

The Mahayuti alliance is facing a friendly fight in the Shivaji Nagar Mankhurd seat, where the Shinde Sena’s rebel Suresh Patil did not back out against the ally NCP’s Nawab Malik, who is pitted against the SP’s Abu Azmi.

In Nashik’s Dindori, the Shinde Sena claimed to have got its rebel candidate Dhanraj Mahale to stand down against the NCP’s Narhari Zirwal. In Deolali, the party’s rebel Rajshree Ahirrao however did not do the same, where the NCP’s sitting MLA Saroj Ahire is the alliance’s official candidate, thereby setting up a friendly contest between them.

A Mahayuti leader said the rebels have joined the fight in several seats being contested by other allies as “they are upset over denial of tickets to their party, and, by extension, themselves”. “We tried hard to convince them and succeeded in many cases. But several still remained in contention, who may hurt us,” he said.

From the Mahayuti, of the state’s 288 seats, the BJP has fielded 152 candidates, the Shinde Sena 78 and the NCP 52. The Shinde Sena expelled Mahesh Gaikwad, its Kalyan city chief who is in the fray as an Independent from Kalyan East against BJP candidate Sulbha Gaikwad.

In a Nutshell –

Mahayuti total rebels – 26

Sena rebels against BJP – 7

Sena rebels against NCP – 5

BJP rebels against Sena – 6

BJP rebels against NCP – 7

NCP rebels against Sena – 1

Friendly fights total – 2

Sena vs NCP – 2