Delhi’s women voters weigh the pros and cons of election promises

In their bid to woo over 45% of the electorate — 69 lakh of Delhi’s 1.52 crore voters — schemes to empower women have featured prominently in all parties’ long list of poll promises. But while some of the schemes appeal to many like Sonia, others remain doubtful if they will ever be implemented.

Twenty-one-year-old Sonia, who is still on the job hunt despite recently completing courses offering specialisations in both computers and salon services, says that her vote on Saturday will go to the party that will ensure financial independence for women.

“We keep hearing about schemes to empower women, like Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) promise to give ₹1,000 to women every month. But I don’t know which of these promises will actually be fulfilled,” she sighs, adding that that there are no jobs for women where she stays in north-west Delhi’s Rithala. In the meantime, she has filled the form for the Pradhan Mantri Vishwakarma Yojana, the BJP-led Centre’s incentive scheme for artisans, and is hoping to get a sewing machine so she can start a small business of her own to tide her over.

In their bid to woo over 45% of the electorate — 69 lakh of Delhi’s 1.52 crore voters — schemes to empower women have featured prominently in all parties’ long list of poll promises. But while some of the schemes appeal to many like Sonia, others remain doubtful if they will ever be implemented.

AAP, for instance, announced the launch of the Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana while presenting its State budget earlier this year, pledging that ₹1,000 will be deposited in the bank accounts of women over 18 beginning from the fiscal year 2024-25.

BJP candidates have made frequent mention of ‘Nari Shakti’, one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 10 guarantees, and has promised to expand the Lakhpati Didi scheme, which aims to empower women by providing them interest-free loans.

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi at rallies in the Capital has reiterated promises of launching the Congress’s Mahalakshmi scheme, which guarantees an annual cash transfer of ₹1 lakh to women belonging to families below poverty line.

The Pink Tickets scheme rolled out by AAP in 2019, which guarantees free bus transport to women, had found much popularity among voters. But even though as many as 11 lakh women make daily use of the scheme, some want more. Pinki, a resident of Jaitpur, travels to and from her college on the bus and metro everyday. “The pink tickets were indeed a blessing, but if the metro was free too, we would benefit immensely,” says the 19-year-old.