Sun Nov 24 19:49:46 UTC 2024: ## Maharashtra Welfare Schemes Fail to Significantly Impact Election Results: Survey

**Mumbai, November 25, 2024** – A new Lokniti-CSDS survey reveals that despite the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Mahayuti government’s reliance on welfare schemes in the recent Maharashtra Assembly elections, these initiatives had limited impact on voter choices. While the ruling alliance attempted to expand welfare programs, the survey indicates that most schemes, excluding the recently launched Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana, had limited reach and uneven implementation.

Even centrally-sponsored schemes showed a lower penetration rate in Maharashtra compared to other states, with only the Public Distribution System (PDS) demonstrating significant reach. Although the Mahayuti saw a slight increase in support among beneficiaries of schemes like PM Awas Yojana and Ujjwala Yojana, the survey concluded that welfare schemes did not significantly sway voters in the election. A large percentage of those who did not benefit from these schemes still voted for the ruling alliance.

Researchers Rajeshwari Deshpande (Savitribai Phule Pune University) and Krishangi Sinha (Lokniti-CSDS) attribute this lack of correlation between welfare programs and voting patterns to the overall weak and uneven implementation of the schemes across the state. Despite the emphasis on welfare in party manifestos and the widespread material anxieties among various social groups, welfare issues ultimately played a minor role in determining the election outcome.

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