Rural Women Administering the Course of Administration in India

Gaurav Srivastava was going to an exam center to take his NET exam on March 2 when he stopped on the Ganga path, near Patna, to ask why there was such a huge crowd around. An elderly lady told him, in Magahi – one of the regional languages of Bihar – “Murga bhat la paisa dihin rahil ta ayil bani baki hmni ke naikhe pta konchi la ee sb ho rkhal" (I don’t know what is happening but I have come here because they paid for the chicken and rice for the day). 

What might seem like a run-up to the Bihar Assembly elections, the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation organised ‘Badlo Bihar Mahajutaan’ in Patna’s Gandhi Maidan on March 2. There were claims of women belonging to as many as 40 organisations that included ASHA workers, sanitation workers, widows of martyred soldiers, and farmers along with others. Regardless of which claim might be true, what was sure was the fact that it already kickstarted a political wind in one of the most politically active states, with an evident bid to entice women – ethically or unethically.

“Political parties are increasingly acknowledging the significance of women voters in shaping election outcomes. As a result, many have adapted their manifestos to better address the needs and aspirations of this demographic,” says the Supreme Court Advocate, Gulfeshan Javed speaking to Local Samosa.

Women Writing Political Trends

Kavita Devi, the Mukhiya of Hesal village in Jharkhand talks about the number of schemes she is aware of as a community stakeholder. “The 'Savitribai Phule Kishori Samriddhi Yojana' in Jharkhand provides financial assistance to adolescent girls to support their education and prevent early marriages and the 'Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY)' is a central government scheme that offers monetary support to pregnant and lactating mothers to ensure proper nutrition and healthcare,” she mentions while naming a few. 

While, as Mukhiya, Kavita Devi actively works to ensure the schemes announced to the women of her village, she mentions that the “schemes have made a significant difference in improving women's health, education, and financial independence in the community”. 

As women, mostly in rural settings, become increasingly aware of state and central government schemes, they have turned out to be the ones defining elections lately. Jharkhand went into Assembly elections in 2024, other than Lok Sabha elections and so did other states like Maharashtra and Delhi, just a month ago. However, what unified both the Lok Sabha elections and the Assembly elections was the women. 

Jharkhand witnessed the JMM-led alliance gain the majority in the Assembly elections. The key factor highlighted by the experts was the ‘Maiya Samman Yojana’ launched by the JMM-Congress-RJD government. The scheme initially offered 1,000 to women but increased to 2,500 in the run-up to the election. Needless to say, the scheme worked in favour of the parties in the state, which has 12.8 million women voters. 

The political battle to woo women 

Just like Jharkhand, a similar pattern was observed in other states as well, and evidently, the parties prepared the manifestos centered around women. The political battle continued in Maharashtra where the ruling Mahayuti coalition focused on women-centric policies; it expanded the 'Mahila Sashaktikaran Yojana' that provided financial support for skill development and education. That apart, the 'Ladki Bahin Yojana', which provided Rs. 1,500 to the women heads of families in a direct transfer scheme increased to Rs. 2,100 during the election promise. 

Nevertheless, such schemes stayed with women, who belonged to the rural and semi-urban regions of Maharashtra, making them the most direct participants in politics. “Women-centric schemes and their benefits, like 'Ladli Behna Yojana,' have incentivised women to enter the political scenario as active citizens,” says Dr. Seema Bhaskaran, Lead for Gender at Transform Rural India.  

According to her, the government flagship programmes like National Rural Livelihood Mission have led to mobilisation and organising of women even in remote and marginalised areas. And, the political parties seemed to have well understood the way to enhance their positions by tapping into the women, irrespective of the areas.

How financial assistance has worked?

That said, parties have seemed to understand and tap on the basic: the need to financially support women to bridge the gap in financial equality; even if done through schemes that count as peanuts. “In Rural India, 10 crore women are part of the NRLM and they are mobilised, and organised into the SHG fold. Through the services of cadres like ‘Bank Sakhi’, women have access to credit from the banks. 'Jandhan Yojna' and various other schemes have led to digital direct transfers,” Dr. Bhaskaran says, adding that financial inclusion in the form of various funds like Revolving funds and community investment funds has reached women. 

Even though the schemes have worked on the urban women, it is the rural and semi-urban that have been the backbone to drive the change. Dr. Bhaskaran highlights that SHGs and their federations have enhanced mobility and processes like the ‘Village Poverty Resilience Plan’ and ‘Gram panchayat development plan’ have enhanced access to panchayat-level entitlements and schemes. “Women’s enhanced voice in the political space as citizens is a composite outcome of all these schemes,” she adds.

As she believes, women’s individual and collective agency and engagement with all public programmes and systems have improved recently. Consequently, political analysts have highlighted that such targeted welfare measures have changed the scenarios compared to a few years ago, when experts often criticised the lower voter turnout compared to men. 

Delhi to fulfill the promise to women

As political tensions rise in the national capital, the BJP government is gearing up to finally launch the Rs. 2,500 monthly assistance scheme for women in Delhi on Women’s Day. The Union territory has seen a significant change in the political landscape as the BJP regains power after 27 years by defeating the AAP by 26 seats. 

Following the pattern, the party in power had announced to provide monthly financial assistance of Rs. 2,500 to women. It was seen as a counter to the AAP’s proposal of ‘Mahila Samman Yojana’ of providing Rs. 2,100 a month for women if it came to power. However, the former won the race on the lines of the party’s 'Ladli Behna Yojana’ in Madhya Pradesh and the ‘Ladki Bahin Yojana’ in Maharashtra, all of which seemed to work. 

As the sword of Assembly elections hangs above the heads of the political parties in Bihar, which is going to the polls later this year, in November, now it is their turn to, perhaps, join the list of trends. In a not-so-easy battle in Bihar, where caste dynamics play an important role, the parties may tap into the other issues that the state is grappling with, like unemployment and infrastructure. 

However, with the ruling Nitish Kumar-led Janta Dal United having a strong point with healthcare and rural development, it will be for the women of Bihar to see what makes them go out to vote for them or others in the state. Currently, the working women of Bihar constitute less than 10% in the labour force, while as per the 2011 census, the state's female literacy rate stands at 53.33, which is the second lowest after Rajasthan’s 52.66 per cent. As compared to the numbers of men, there is a higher ratio of women in the state engaged in casual labour and agricultural activity.

As Advocate Javed says, “This shift towards women illustrates a broader trend in Indian politics, where the formulation of women-centric policies is not only an essential component in promoting gender equality and empowerment but also a strategy for garnering votes.”

All in all, in a paradigm shift, women, especially those located in rural India belonging to the low-income category, have no longer been the passive demographic – but a force that is reshaping the electoral strategies, priorities, and political narratives and Bihar is likely to set the same tone as anticipated.