NDA’s cash pitch to women swung Bihar polls, says VIP chief after party draws a blank

Patna, Nov 14 (PTI) Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) founder Mukesh Sahani on Friday attributed his party’s rout in the Bihar assembly polls to NDA’s aggressive cash outreach to women voters, as the INDIA bloc ally failed to take a lead in any of the 12 seats it contested.

Speaking to PTI Video shortly after trends confirmed the VIP’s wipeout, despite his projection as the alliance’s deputy chief ministerial face, Sahani insisted that the verdict was the “people’s mandate”, not a reflection of organisational slack.

“Voters did not connect with our message. They trusted Nitish ji and Modi ji, and I congratulate both of them,” he said.

“We delivered our message; every alliance leader delivered theirs. But, ultimately it was the public’s verdict,” Sahani said.

Sahani argued that the NDA’s targeted promise of direct financial assistance to women was one of the decisive factors behind the INDIA bloc’s collapse.

He pointed specifically to the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana (MMRY), announced by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on August 29, which promises Rs 2.10 lakh in instalments to women entrepreneurs to start small enterprises such as stores, dairies, tailoring units, beauty parlours or art-and-craft ventures.

The first instalment of Rs 10,000 has already been credited to the bank accounts of over 1.21 crore women enrolled under the JEEViKA self-help group network.

“Our mothers and sisters who live in poverty felt that the money would change their lives. Naturally, they voted for that promise,” Sahani said, calling the trend “a clear case of the government using state money as a campaign lever”.

He described the shift as a move from “black money distributed at midnight by strongmen” to “state money distributed in broad daylight”, contending that while dominant caste groups once bought votes covertly, “now the government itself was doing it legally”.

On the VIP’s failure to open its account, Sahani was said, “The account was not mine to open. It was for the people to open, and they didn’t. That’s all.” The VIP had won four seats in the 2020 assembly polls.

He asserted that this moment called for acceptance, not recrimination.

“There is no problem right now. Those who won deserve the congratulations. We will review everything in the coming days and return to the people. One day, the public will open our account,” he said.

Sahani added that the VIP would continue to fight for women to receive the remaining amount under the MMRY scheme.

“We will stay in the field and hold the government to its word,” he asserted. PTI PNT RBT