Why Shivraj Singh Chouhan Is Wooing Women Voters With Schemes-Data Is Self Explanatory

With the assembly elections nearing in Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has made several announcements for women.

1.25 crore women in the state are receiving Rs 1,000 every month since June under the Ladli Behan Yojana. This amount will be increased to Rs 1,250 from October.

Not just this, an additional amount of Rs 250 and gas cylinders for Rs 450 were given in the month of Sawan as a Rakhi gift. Chouhan said that efforts are being made to provide a gas cylinder every month for Rs 450.

These efforts are backed by data that shows women's turnout in the state elections has been continuously increasing and reached a record high of 74 per cent in 2018.

Thus, to secure a majority in the state, women votes are very important. Chouhan is the longest-serving BJP CM and he hopes that these schemes will help him sail through the fatigue factor.

An analysis of assembly election data of 1962, the earliest year for which figures are available, shows that only 29.07 per cent of women voters exercised their franchise that year.

It increased to 41.8 per cent in 1967 and rose to 44.37 per cent in 1972. Fewer women voted in the following two Assembly elections — 43.22 per cent in 1977 and 39.39 per cent in 1980.

The numbers increased again in 1985 as 41.4 per cent of women electors voted. Since then, it has increased steadily. The turnout figure for women voters crossed the 50 per cent mark in 1998.

The state was split and Chhattisgarh was formed in 2000 with the turnout at 53.53 per cent. It was 62.14 per cent in 2003, 65.91 per cent in 2008, 70.09 per cent in 2013, and a record of 74.01 per cent in 2018.

Chouhan is already known to be popular among women and earned the nickname "Mama" (maternal uncle) when he introduced the Ladli Laxmi Yojana in 2007. This scheme grants financial assistance to girl children through government support.

Following that, the Chouhan administration prioritized initiatives targeting women and girls, including the Mukhyamantri Kanya Vivah and Nikah Yojana.

The recent announcements include raising the reservation for women for 30 per cent to 35 per cent in government jobs and 50 per cent reservation in teacher recruitment.