The landslide victory of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the Bihar Assembly Election 2025, which saw the alliance secure a massive mandate, has triggered a severe reaction from the opposition Mahagathbandhan (INDIA bloc), who are now attributing their rout to a massive direct benefit transfer scheme launched by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar just before the polls.

The scheme, officially the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana (MMRY), provided a cash grant of ₹10,000 (dubbed ‘dus hazari’ locally) to over 1 crore women, injecting an estimated ₹14,000 crore into the hands of women voters just weeks before the election schedule was announced.

The Opposition’s Core Grievance

Opposition leaders are alleging that the timing and continuation of the payments, in conjunction with the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), unfairly influenced voter behavior and created a non-level playing field.

Event	Date	Action & Implication
Cabinet Approval	August 29, 2025	MMRY scheme approved (Initial amount: ₹10,000; Further assistance up to ₹2.1 lakh).
PM Launches 1st Phase	September 26, 2025	PM Narendra Modi formally launches the scheme and transfers ₹7,500 crore to 75 lakh women.
CM Transfers 2nd Phase	October 3, 2025	CM Nitish Kumar transfers ₹2,500 crore to 25 lakh women beneficiaries.
MCC Comes into Effect	October 6, 2025	The Election Commission of India (ECI) announces the election schedule, and the MCC is enforced.
Alleged Post-MCC Transfers	October/November 2025	Opposition alleges payments continued after the MCC came into force. (A PIL in the Patna HC alleges staggered transfers on Oct 17, 24, and 31).

Export to Sheets

Veteran INDIA bloc leader Sharad Pawar questioned why the ECI allowed the distribution of funds during the election process, citing a belief that the scheme “generated a favourable effect for NDA.” Mukesh Sahani, whose party drew a blank, directly accused the government of “using state money as a campaign lever,” arguing that poverty-stricken women “felt that the money would change their lives” and “voted for that promise.”

The Women Voter Factor

The election data strongly suggests the women’s vote was a decisive factor, which the MMRY scheme appears to have successfully consolidated for the NDA.

• Women’s Turnout: 71.78% (Significantly higher than men’s 62.98%).
• Voter Gap: Over 5 lakh more women voted than men.
• Context: Nitish Kumar has a long history of nurturing the women’s constituency through schemes like reservation in local bodies and job quotas. The ‘dus hazari’ cash transfer, routed through the JEEViKA self-help group (SHG) network, capped this long-term strategy, creating a powerful block of supportive women voters (“Jeevika Didis”).

The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) Standoff

The central argument of the opposition revolves around the MCC guidelines, which prohibit the ruling party from:

1. Announcing any new financial grants or promises thereof.
2. Sanctioning grants/payments out of discretionary funds once elections are announced.
3. Using official position to influence the campaign.

The opposition contends that continuing payments or issuing advertisements highlighting payment dates after October 6constitutes a clear breach of the code, akin to the ECI halting welfare disbursements in Andhra Pradesh in 2024 due to their proximity to the voting dates.

ECI’s Informal Stance:

While the ECI has not issued a formal clarification, officials have informally maintained that a scheme that was approved, notified, and commenced before the MCC was enforced does not have to be halted, provided no new benefit or expansion is announced. The key distinction lies between a new “announcement” and the continuation of an existing, committed transfer.

However, the opposition alleges that the ECI acted as a “mute spectator,” failing to intervene despite past precedents where the commission took strict action against schemes that could unduly influence voters, even if they were ongoing. A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has now been filed in the Patna High Court, accusing the state government of “political bribery” and seeking an inquiry into the post-MCC disbursements.