In the grand scheme of things in Maharashtra...

How crucial is the Ladki Bahin Yojana for women in the state as rising costs and populist promises shape election decisions? AJINKYA KAWALE & PRACHI PISAL travel through Nashik, Jalna, Pune, and Solapur to find an answer

- AJINKYA KAWALE & PRACHI PISAL

Saraswati Jadhav stands near the fence of her modest home, a growing impatience clouding her tired expression as she waits for news of her husband.

A few days ago, he suffered a cardiac arrest, and since then, she has found herself perched on the edge of uncertainty, balancing between hope and fear.

A resident of Mohadi, a village deep in Nashik's agricultural belt—home to India's grape capital—Jadhav works as a daily wage laborer. She earns a meagre ₹250-300 a day, a sum that just about covers food and the basics.

The economic rhythm she relies on can be easily disrupted by any health crisis, leaving her vulnerable.

But there is a glimmer of financial relief in the form of a government initiative that's touched the lives of women like Jadhav. Since July, she has received ₹1,500 each month under the state's Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana (MMLBY), part of a larger push to support low-income families ahead of Maharashtra's November 20 assembly elections.

The funds, though modest, have helped cushion the blow of an already fragile financial situation. "I've received ₹7,500, and my daughter another ₹7,500 from the scheme. Together, that's eased some of the burden. Without it, we would've had to skip meals to manage the hospital costs," says a teary-eyed Jadhav.

The scheme, launched by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Mahayuti coalition (primarily comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Shiv Sena, and the Nationalist Congress Party), offers ₹1,500 per month to women between 21 and 65 years from families with annual incomes under ₹2.5 lakh. As the elections near, Shinde has promised an increase, pledging ₹2,100 a month for eligible women if the coalition retains power.