Short Edit: BJP Said 'Batenge Toh Katenge', And Nearly 50% Maharashtra Voters Agreed
Maharashtra Assembly Results: BJP's strategy of using provocative slogans to consolidate the Hindu vote and portray the Muslim electorate as a threat appears to have been successful in Maharashtra.
After nearly two hours of counting of votes in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut addressed the media alleging 'Kuch To Gadbad Hai'. His denial rant came after the trends predicted that BJP-led Mahayuti would not just be comfortably ahead of the majority mark in the 288-member Maharashtra assembly but would get 2/3rd of the seats. Under the Mahayuti alliance, the BJP is not just the biggest partner but is also emerging as the single largest party in the Maharashtra 2024 assembly elections.
To have such a stupendous performance in a vast state like Maharashtra, two major factors are responsible. While some credit surely goes to the Ladki Bahin Yojana, which managed to woo the women voters, the battle cry given from UP's soil — 'Batenge Toh Katenge' — too did its job well.
Though the alliance partners of Mahayuti rebuked the slogan of 'Batenge Toh Katenge', and Prime Minister Narendra Modi later modified it [read: softened the communal overtones] to 'Ek Hain To Safe Hain' during an election rally in Dhule, Yogi Adityanath remained firm on it during his campaign trail in Maharashtra.
The results prove it resonated with the electorate.
As the votes got counted, and the trends started to become clear, it seemed 'Batenge Toh Katenge' and all the other inciting slogans did push the BJP's agenda and consolidated the Hindu vote in the western state. 'Vote Jihad' and 'Ganesh in Jail' were some of the other key points highlighted by the BJP, insinuating how the consolidation of the Muslim electorate is a sign of "danger" for Hindus. The narrative seemed to work as nearly 50% of votes polled in Maharashtra went to the Mahayuti.
At the time of writing, BJP had secured 25.91% of votes while Ajit Pawar's NCP got 10.10% of the vote share and the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) received 12.51% of the votes, according to the Election Commission of India data.
Freebies Under Social Welfare Scheme Garb
PM Modi as a BJP star campaigner often lashes out at other state governments that distribute "freebies" or "Muft Ki Revri". But his own party is creating a similar blueprint, and it is turning out to be a boon for them in the elections. The BJP-led governments wooed women voters by announcing financial benefits just months ahead of polling.
In June this year, terming it a social welfare scheme, the Maharashtra government started the 'Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana'. The line of thought for not calling it a "freebie" is that the scheme promotes economic independence among women, improves their health and nutrition, and strengthens their decision-making role in the family. Under this scheme, women in the state aged 21 to 65 receive monthly financial assistance of Rs 1,500 through Direct Benefit Transfer.
A similar move was made in Madhya Pradesh, where most of the opinion polls had predicted that BJP was on its way out. Three months before the voting, the Ladli Yojana targeting women was launched, giving monetary benefits to them. The BJP not only made a repeat in the central state but came with a thumping majority, decimating the Congress.
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