The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Samajwadi Party ( SP) have stepped up their efforts to woo women voters ahead of the 2027 electoral battle and other parties also expected to join the competition to win over this crucial constituency, which accounts for nearly half the electorate.
While the BJP government is showcasing the implementation of women-centric promises made in its Sankalp Patra (Manifesto), the SP has begun highlighting the work done for women during its previous tenure and promising direct cash transfer to women if voted to power.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday added two more initiatives to the BJP government’s women-focussed agenda, launching free travel for women above 60 years of age in UP State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) buses and announcing that 50,000 female undergraduate students would receive scooters in October-November. Both the initiatives were parts of the BJP’s pre-poll promises in 2022.
More such women-centric initiatives may be in the pipeline and Yogi dropped a hint about this at Wednesday’s function. The CM, while launching the Lokmata Ahilyabai Matrashakti Yatra Yojana, said the initiative was “just the beginning and not the end. The remark is likely to fuel speculation about more women-centric announcements before the 2027 Assembly polls.
The BJP’s 2027 manifesto, it is believed, may have many fresh promises aimed at consolidating its support among women.
Talk of a direct cash-transfer scheme on the lines of those announced in Bihar and West Bengal before polls has already been doing the rounds for quite some time.
Yogi devoted his entire speech to women’s self-reliance, dignity, safety and security, saying women empowerment was not a charity but their integration into the economy. He claimed women’s workforce had risen from 12% before 2017 to over 36% now and it needed to reach at least 50% in line with women’s share of the population.
WOMEN-CENTRIC INITIATIVES IN UP
The BJP government’s initiatives include Kanya Sumangala Yojana, Mission Shakti, three all-women PAC battalions, BC Sakhi, women’s self-help groups and Lakhpati Didi initiatives, working women’s hostels, One Stop Centres and Women Helpline.
Other measures include women’s property ownership under Gharauni/Swamitva, LPG connections under Ujjwala and free refills for eligible beneficiaries around Holi and Diwali, women’s safety measures for night shifts, Anti-Romeo Squads, Nirashrit Mahila Pension and the newly launched free-bus scheme for women aged 60-plus. Houses under PM Awas Yojana are also generally registered in the name of the adult female member or jointly with the husband.
