The She Voter

Political parties in Bihar are looking to woo women voters—who constitute almost half of the vote bank—ahead of the state Assembly election

- Md Asghar Khan

SITA Kumari, 29, lives in a Dalit settlement in Sultanpur village, a few kilometres from Hajipur in Bihar. She was in the second year ofan undergraduate course when she quit her studies because there were no job prospects for women in the remote village where she lived. Her husband is a graduate, but the onslaught of unemployment compelled him to work as a daily wager. She has been helping him by doing odd jobs, but together they never had enough. And now they need more as she is expecting a child.

It's been a few days since Tejashwi Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) announced that if the party comes to power in the upcoming state Assembly elections to be held in October-November, Rs 2,500 will be deposited in the accounts of women in the age group of 18-60 every month. When asked if that amount would help Sita Kumari and her husband sail through, she says: “It’s been a pattern. All political parties announce populist women-centric schemes and offer doles when elections approach. But no one talks about generating actual jobs on the ground, especially for women. If they really care about women, like they say they do, they should talk about jobs.” At the end of the conversation, she takes a jibe at the government and says: “If I have a daughter, I will ensure that she finishes her education so that she can find a job and won't have to depend on government doles.”

The Bihar Assembly elections are a few months away but parties across the political spectrum are trying to woo women voters by making a flurry of promises and keeping them at the centre of their campaign. The women, after all, constitute almost 50 per cent of the vote bank. As per the 2024 Lok Sabha election data, among the 7.64 crore voters in the state, four crore are men and 3.64 crore are women. While the average voting percentage of men was 53 per cent, for the women, the figure was much higher-59.4 per cent.