Candidates Wooing ‘Ladki Bahins’ By ‘Offering’ Cash To Sway Votes In Slums

Nagpur: As the date for Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) elections draws closer, allegations are surfacing about candidates, particularly in North and East Nagpur's economically-backward areas, clandestinely distributing cash to secure votes of women not enrolled in the Ladki Bahin programme or those seeking additional incentives.According to a local leader, women voters, empowered yet economically strained, are the primary targets. "Names of those illegally drawing benefits under the Ladki Bahin scheme were deleted after scrutiny. Such women and those who did not get the benefits from the beginning due to some technical issues are being approached by the candidates," said the source.
The Ladki Bahin Yojana launched in 2024 is credited with boosting women's voter registration. It is also considered to have influenced assembly elections last year and even the recent local body results. The scheme provides Rs1,500 monthly assistance to eligible women. "One prominent candidate is offering Rs2,500 per woman voter in exchange for support, while rivals are providing packets containing Rs1,500 to sway undecided voters," said a source from North Nagpur on the condition of anonymity. "These transactions are conducted discreetly, often through intermediaries to avoid detection," he said.Sources also said cash is being paired with pouches of country liquor for families under "paisa to pahua" strategy. North Nagpur, home to over 500 notified and unnotified slums housing a significant portion of the city's low-income population, emerged as a hotspot for such activities, the source told The Times of India at one such slum where a "mutton party" is held every night."Candidates are wooing supporters to attend their corner meetings with ‘nasta paani'. The young crowd is drawn with biryani parties, while women are surreptitiously given utensils and other gifts for kitchen use," said the source from a slum near Kalamna Ring Road.Allegations of similar inducements have trickled in from other zones too, but North and East Nagpur stand out due to their dense slum clusters and history of bloc voting patterns. Political analysts note that with Gen Z voters and women forming a decisive bloc this time such malpractices could tilt balance in close contests.Insiders warn that covert operations make enforcing election commission rules challenging. "In North Nagpur, police intercepted cash in Jaripatka. Police and election machinery are already working in joint teams (flying squads) and would act if there is information," said a senior police official during his booth visit near Pachpaoli this week.