Mumbai, its satellite towns, and its nearby districts saw a substantial surge in women voters during the Maharashtra Assembly elections held on November 20 with Thane district seeing an 11 percentage point jump, followed by the tribal district of Palghar with a nine percentage point increase, and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region with an at least seven percentage point spike as compared the 2019 elections.
While the state recorded a nearly five percentage point jump in overall voter turnout, the increase in women voters, especially in rural and tribal areas, is being attributed to the Mahayuti government’s Ladki Bahin Yojana under which the state has been providing Rs 1,500 to women over the last four months.
In 2019, 46.78 per cent and 49.21 per cent of women had cast their votes in Mumbai city and suburbs, respectively. This time around, the percentage increased to 53.42 per cent and 56.74 per cent, a 6.64 and 7.53 percentage point jump, respectively.
Similarly, in Thane, the percentage of women voters increased from 45.65 per cent in 2019 to 57.11 per cent on November 20, an 11.46 percentage point increase. The trend continued in Palghar too where the percentage of women voters increased from 58 per cent in 2019 to 67 per cent this time, an increase of nine percentage points.
Unlike the 2019 Assembly elections, the number of women voters also outnumbered the men in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, an area comprising Mumbai and its satellite towns which accounts for 60 Assembly segments out of the total 288 Assembly seats.
Around 53.34 lakh women voted in the four districts of the MMR region, which is around 13 lakh more than in the 2019 elections when 40.18 lakh women voted here.
Just like Mumbai, more women voted in neighbouring Palghar and Thane districts too. While Palghar district recorded a 67.01 per cent women voter turnout as compared to 66.27 per cent men, Thane, the home turf of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, saw a 57.11 per cent women voter turnout and 56.79 per cent men voting.
The increase in women voters has raised the hopes of the ruling Mahayuti government.
“Definitely, the Ladki Bahin Yojana has worked in favour of the Mahayuti. Women are happy and empowered due to the scheme and other welfare policies. The Ladki Bahin scheme has been implemented in the last six months and it will continue in the future as well. Such a scheme was never implemented in the state before. Because of this scheme, there is a feeling among women that there is at least one government which is thinking about them and that may be the reason that a large number of women have come out to vote in support of the government,” Shiv Sena MLC Manisha Kayande said.
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had also said on Thursday that the government’s flagship women-centric scheme could have played a role in the rise in women voters in the state.
Another Shiv Sena leader agreed. “The increase in women’s participation is a good sign for the Mahayuti… women seem happy with the work the government has been doing so they have voted in large numbers to ensure that the government returns,” the leader said.
Opposition leaders, however, said that the rise in women voters would work in their favour.
Better overall turnout in Mumbai
Mumbai fared better on the voter turnout front in this year’s Assembly elections than in 2019 with Mumbai city and its suburbs recording an estimated 52.65 and 56.39 per cent polling, respectively.
Even though Mumbai’s turnout was low compared to the state’s average, the voter turnout bettered the 2019 polls when the final voter turnout in Mumbai city and suburbs stood at 48.22 and 51.28 per cent, respectively.
At 44.44 per cent, the Colaba Assembly segment recorded the lowest turnout in the city while the Bhandup West segment recorded the highest, at 62.88 per cent, followed by Borivali at 62.32 per cent.
