Ideology, welfare, and caste census: What do Maharashtra and Jharkhand results tell us about them

Assembly poll results in Jharkhand and Maharashtra reveal the impact of women-centric welfare schemes and OBC leadership on political outcomes.

Saturday’s results for Assembly polls in Jharkhand and Maharashtra cannot be just seen as decider for who gets to form the next government in the State but have long lasting implications with regard to the questions that they settle, at least for the foreseeable future, in the political discourse. The ideas and narratives that find resonance with the people and a guide to political parties on what works and does not.

Maharashtra election results 2024 LIVE updates | Jharkhand election results 2024 LIVE updates

The biggest takeaway of the two big Assembly polls is the fact that both incumbent governments had announced income support schemes targeted at women -“Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana” in Maharashtra and the “Mukhyamantri Maiya Samman Yojana” of Jharkhand are said to be the game changers of the elections.

In Maharashtra, polling among women was up by at least six per cent from 2019, with polling settling at 65.1% in 2024 compared to 59.2% in 2019.

In Jharkhand too, women voted more than men across 32 Assembly. Overall too, more women voted than men in the State, as the State with a total of 2.61 crore registered voters, saw 1.76 crore people vote, among them women clocking 91.16 lakh votes, exceeding male participation by 5.52 lakh votes.

Very clearly then, as in the past, women and welfare measures targeted at them can help accumulate a support base above caste and traditional categories.

The BJP’s victory in Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Rajasthan in 2023 Assembly polls was said to have closed the gate to the caste census as an issue, but in the Lok Sabha elections of 2024, with the “samvidhan khatre main hai” (Constitution is in danger) narrative among marginalised sections, the issue gained traction again. Vast swathes of Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh saw marginalised sections vote for the INDIA bloc and anxieties expressed over BJP ending reservations if it got a huge majority at the Centre. This issue was expected to hit the Assembly elections as well, but, seems to have ebbed.