Assembly elections: As cash transfers emerge as quickest way to victory at hustings, will it work in Bihar?

PATNA: In Bakhtiyarpur's Machariyawa village, Usha Devi received Rs 10,000 under Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana and also the revised old age pension of Rs 1,100 straight into her bank account.

In Vaishali, Gudiya dropped in at a "cash point" in her village to check if the money due to her has been transferred. "May be because of the election the payment is delayed, otherwise everything comes on a fixed date," she said while confirming that she too has received Rs 10,000 into her account as well as assistance during Covid.

For lakhs of beneficiaries like Usha Devi and Gudiya in Bihar, cash transfers have emerged as the quickest way of getting benefits - not just in terms of the transfer but also implementation of poll promises, almost eliminating the lag between announcements and implementation.

In contrast, a benefit which is mediated through layers of officialdom, assistance under PM Awas Yojana for construction of pucca houses, is disbursed after verification by panchayat biggies, who take their own time and have their own favourites, is not felt directly, at least immediately.

Usha Devi has heard of the scheme but has not been able to avail of it yet.

In Bihar's case, money was deposited into the accounts of beneficiaries within weeks of the schemes being announced, making opposition nervous as RJD petitioned EC to put a stop on the next round of transfer ahead of polls in the state.

On Friday, RJD lawmaker Manoj Jha wrote to the Election Commission panel asking it to order Bihar govt to stop the next instalment of Rs 10,000 which is due to be transferred on Nov 7 - four days before the second round of voting.

But it isn't just in Bihar. Across the political spectrum, cash transfers, riding on Jan Dhan-Aadhaar backbone, are now the preferred mode of delivery. Though there are doubts whether the job-related promises that NDA and Mahagathbandhan are making in the run up to the polls will materialise, the thrill of money flowing into one's account is real.

Interestingly, it was BJD in Odisha which was the first to take advantage of PM Narendra Modi's push for getting the poor to open their bank accounts and get them linked to Aadhaar. The erstwhile Naveen Patnaik-led govt transferred cash to farmers. By all accounts, it took some convincing for PM Modi to agree to PM-Kisan, which was launched just ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections, with farmers getting the first of the three instalments of the annual Rs 6,000 payout under the scheme.

The financial assistance is seen to have been a major factor behind a 303-seat verdict in the polls as farmers see it as an aid that comes handy. "It is not a very large amount but it does help me buy fertiliser and seeds. The additional Rs 3,000 (pledged by NDA in Bihar in its manifesto) will help me grow," said Binay Paswan, who owns around an acre near Nalanda.

BJP had followed that up with Ladli Behna in Madhya Pradesh, where it retained office in 2023. And, with Ladki Behin Yojana, NDA romped home in Maharashtra in 2024. Cash transfers have emerged as the go-to weapon in the political armoury. Similarly, sops to women - Gruha Lakshmi scheme - in Karnataka helped Congress return to office in the state.