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| Women were ‘King Makers’ in Bihar Polls | | | Omkar Dattatray | 11/21/2025 10:36:51 PM |
| Women empowerment, security, dignity, non- discrimination, equal treatment and rather preferential treatment and money transfer commitment became the women power behind the emphatic poll win for the NDA. In fact, in Bihar this time and this election. it is the women who proved to be the king makers as women rallied behind the NDA and Nitish Kumar and they are in fact the real king makers as they voted for the NDA and made the landslide victory for the Nitish and NDA possible. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that NDA’s MY factor defeated and exposed the MY factor of Mahagathbandhan and for the RJD-Congress combine MY meant Muslim -Yadav and for the NDA it meant Mahila and youth and it was these two sections of Bihar society as well as the farmers which ensured the emphatic and historical win for the NDA. In actual and practical politics of Bihar elections, it was the women support which can be said to be the real king makers in Bihar. At least 2.52 crore females voted in comparison to 2.47 crore males in the state of Bihar where the polling for Assembly elections concluded recently. Women voters wait in queues to cast their vote is itself the reflection that women voted hugely in these polls to elect a government of their choice. The 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, which witnessed a record and all- time high voter turnout of 66.91 percent, would also be remembered for the ‘coming of age women voters ‘in the state. The women voters have decisively emerged as ‘Kingmakers.’ They decisively stepped out of the shadow of men in their households to vote in massive numbers –indicating their electoral empowerment coming full circle—and beat the male voters in exercising their right to franchise by hefty margin. Bihar had 7.45 crore electors, including 3.94 crore men and 3.51 crore women, when the dates for the poll in two phases were announced. The figures highlighted the already skewed sex ratio of the state. However, when polls started ,71.6 per cent women voters turned up at the booths to cast their votes in comparison to 62.8 percent voters—a huge gap of 8.8 per cent between two sexes. They beat men in absolute numbers as well -2.52 crore females voted in comparison to 2.47 crore males. The Election Commission -EC did not compile gender specific data prior to 1962, but a perusal of date since then shows that polling percentage of women in Bihar showed improvement since 1980, and embarked on a steady upswing since 2010 Assembly polls, surpassing men. Around 54.49 per cent eligible women voted in comparison to 51.12 percent eligible men voters, In, 2015 the voter turnout of females was 60.48 percent against 53.32 percent males. The polling percentage for females and males in 2020 state election was 59.69 percent and 54.45 percent respectively. The improvement in the polling percentage of female voters in Bihar could be attributed to women’s empowerment. It has been a result of various women and girl -oriented schemes brought forth by chief minister Nitish Kumar. Distribution of bicycle,school dress,50% reservation in Panchayat raj institutions,35% reservation in government jobs ,and different employment schemes are some of them, ’’Patna -based psychologist Dr. Binda Singh told ETV. ‘’While treating women hailing from the rural areas, I noticed that education has improved among them. A majority of them are working in something or other, while their husbands at times are sitting idle. This has lent a sense of empowerment in them. They have the feeling that they can form government, ’’Singh added. However, All India Democratic Women’s Association [AIDWA] national president Rampari Devi, differed over the reasons behind the polling percentage of women being higher than that of men.’’ A huge number of men of the state have become migrant workers due to poverty and unemployment prevailing here. The women are left behind at home. Naturally when polls come, their percentage as voters would be more than men. Secondly, they have become more aware and they vote according to the circumstances. We think they come out in large numbers to vote to change the present political dispensation,’’Rampari said .What Rampari said had a ring of truth in it. While gender -specific data of the second phase of Bihar poll is yet to come ,the data of the first phase shows that gap between the polling percentage of women and men was more in the districts that are considered poor and hotbed of migration .For example ,the female voter turnout was 76.04 percent in comparison to 58.32 percent for males in Gopalganj district ,68.26 percent for females and 59.93 percent for males in Saran district ,71.25 percent for females in comparison to 56.84 percent for males in Darbhanga district, and 77.04 percent against 62.80 percent in Madhenpura district ,and 75.86 percent compared to 63.49 percent in Sahara district .Though different political parties differ on whom the women have voted for ,they agree that they could have been lured by the sops showered by the ruling NDA government or promises made by the opposition INDIA ,also known as the Mahagathbandhan.’’The Rs 10,000 given to over 1.4 crore women in the state to start some venture or employment ,along with a promise to provide Rs 2 lakh more if they do well ,has worked wonders. Similarly, 125 units of free electricity has provided direct relief to all households, especially the women, who have to manage them. It made them happy and drew them to polling booths,’’ a senior JDU leader considered close to Nitish told ETV Bharat. On the other hand, RJD Bihar unit general secretary and spokesperson Chitranjan Gagan said,’’ The women though enough is enough. They have become frustrated with poverty, inflation, migration, and unemployment.
They keep seeing their families suffer and queued at the booths to pick a government that would address these issues and also provide better health services, irrigation facilities and education. ’’In Bihar election 2025 women voters emerge as the kingmakers. Parties now chase the women the way they once chased caste politics. Whom they voted for? Are, women going to be the kingmakers in the Bihar polls? Well, some political pundits think so, more so considering chief minister Nitish Kumar’s popularity among women voters and the welfare schemes announced by his government for them ahead of the 2025 assembly polls. JDU chief Nitish Kumar lead the NDA government in Bihar.PM Narendra Modi launched the Mukhya Mantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana on Friday –September 26, transferring Rs 10,000 each to the bank accounts of 75 lakh women. The Rs 7,500 -crore scheme aims to provide financial assistance to one woman in each family in Bihar, enabling them to start employment or livelihood activities of their choice. Soon after the scheme was launched on Friday, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra hit out at the NDA government, urging the women of Bihar not to be swayed by doles offered to them just ahead of Bihar polls. The NDA’s latest scheme in poll -bound Bihar -a cash transfer of Rs 10,000 each to 75 lakh women –takes a leaf out of the successful political playbook deployed by several parties, not the least the BJP, to gain an advantage over their rivals.
For example, Congress’s promise of cash assistance to women, among a few other guarantees, help the party oust the BJP from power in Karnataka in 2023. A similar scheme was pivotal to the JMMs successful bid to retain government in Jharkhand in 2024.Ascendia Strategies noted in its ground report that women’s turnout in Bihar is 5% -6% higher than that of men. Meanwhile, Amitabh Tiwari, Managing Partner at Ascendia Strategies and founder partner of Vote Vibe, said at India Today Conclave Mumbai that on 167 of 243 assembly seats,’’the women turnout was more than men, and the NDA won 90 of those seats.’’ ‘’Women’s vote can be the kingmakers again,’’ he said. Some analysts were of the opinion that Nitish Kumar remained the top choice for women voters in the Bihar. NDA’s Rs 10,000 cash transfer for women served as a decisive electoral factor just like the Ladli Bahin Scheme of MP and Maharashtra. ’’In fact, Nitish Kumar retained popularity among his core constituencies of Keori /Kurmi communities and women voters. All the above suggest that women vote bank was the kingmaker in Bihar as they rallied behind the NDA like a rock.
The author is a columnist, social, KP activist& Freelancer |
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