Sharad Pawar Says Cash Transfer Scheme Swayed Bihar Voters, BJP Hits Back

Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar has alleged that the BJP-led NDA's victory in the recent Bihar Assembly election was influenced by a government-backed cash transfer scheme, under which Rs 10,000 was credited into the bank accounts of women voters shortly before polling.

Such large-scale pre-election payouts risk undermining public faith in the democratic process, he warned.

Speaking to reporters in Baramati, Pawar said that he received feedback from Bihar, indicating that the women, who voted in unusually large numbers, were significantly swayed by the Rs 10,000 deposit.

"Women had taken the election into their own hands. All of them received Rs 10,000 each in their accounts, and that seems to have had a direct impact on the result," he alleged.

Drawing a parallel to Maharashtra's Ladki Bahin scheme, under which Rs 1,500 was credited to women before the Model Code of Conduct, Pawar said that the trend of governments disbursing large sums just before polls was worrying.

"If those in power start entering elections after distributing money in such a manner, it will shake people's faith in elections. Rs 10,000 is not a small amount. Experts and the Election Commission must think about the impact," he said.

Pawar added that such practices raise questions about transparency. "When Rs 10,000 is given across the state and elections follow, people naturally feel the process is not clean," he said.

BJP Rejects Pawar's Charges

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis dismissed Pawar's allegations as an attempt to deflect from electoral defeat. "In an election, the one who wins is the real Sikandar," he said. "After defeat, one should accept the loss, admit their mistakes, and introspect, but our Opposition is not willing to do so."

Fadnavis said that every party and government had the freedom to introduce welfare schemes, and it was the public that judged their merit. "The schemes we implemented were appreciated by people, and that is why they supported us," he said.