Opinion Lesson from Madhya Pradesh and Telangana: Revdi is a hit-and-miss electoral strategy

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan probably understood the message behind the data, and tied the solutions to his image. His Ladli Behna scheme, launched in March this year, just eight months ahead of assembly elections, resonated for two reasons: One, it is one more — and a big one, at that — in the many schemes for the maa aur behan in the state. Laadli Laxmi, Mukhyamantri Kanya Vivah and Nikah and Mukhyamantri Kanya Abhibhavak Pension were some of the earlier schemes for women; two, yes, it’s a freebie, but data bears out that it’s a response to a unique MP problem. The latest annual report of the Periodic Labour Force Survey, July 2022-June 2023, shows that in rural MP, the percentage of women “helpers in household enterprises” increased to 58.2 per cent, compared to 53.4 per cent in 2017-18. The all-India average for rural women “helpers in household enterprise” was just 43.1 per cent in 2022-23. “Helpers in household enterprise” are self-employed persons working in their household enterprise but not getting paid for it. Economists also tell us that this happens more when the economy is not doing so well, and there are fewer jobs being created by businesses. Also, if household finances are not doing very well, women who were not working earlier, start working in the enterprises set up in the household, without any payment. In urban areas, the percentage of such women “helpers in household enterprises” remained more or less flat — in 2022-23, it was 19.2 per cent, in 2017-18, it was 19 per cent.

The Ladli Behna scheme is now available to all women over 21 years and entails a monthly direct benefit transfer (DBT) of Rs 1,250. The state has so far disbursed Rs 6,800 crore to over 1.2 crore women, and Shivraj Singh Chouhan has allocated approximately Rs 13,000 crore towards the scheme for the current financial year. Of course, women constitute almost 48.5 per cent of the total voters in the state, and their turnout during polling at 76 per cent was higher than men’s at 74 per cent.

Congress gets Telangana, without OPS carrot

For Congress, the Telangana win tells many a story. To uproot a regional party is never easy; what helped the party is its ability to convey the political message better in the south of the Vindhyas than the north. In the north — Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh — it went with faces that have dominated the party’s politics for decades. In 2018, Bhupesh Baghel brought raw energy and fighting spirit to Chhattisgarh and won. Revanth Reddy did it for Congress in Telangana this time. So, it is not just revdi that helps parties win elections. In fact, of the four big state elections this November, it’s only in Telangana that the Congress did not promise a return to the Old Pension Scheme. In Madhya Pradesh, the party promised OPS, and in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, its governments have already reversed the pension reform clock. Just a year ago, last November, the OPS was seen as a key to victory in Himachal Pradesh. Many attributed the northern state’s win to the OPS promise, but Rahul Gandhi said he wasn’t sure that was the case.

Also, of the four states — Telangana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh — the Reserve Bank of India’s State of State Finances report shows that the southern state is the one best placed in terms of government finances. Data shows that committed expenditure — salaries, pension, and interest payment on debt — account for just 54 per cent of its own tax revenues. In the case of Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, it is well over 100 per cent, leaving less money for developmental expenditure.

pv.iyer@expressindia.com