Mahayuti Ally Threatens Women, "Will Take Back Rs 1500 Ladki Bahin Handout From You If You Don’t Vote Us"

The ruling Mahayuti government in Maharashtra has found itself in an awkward position after a controversial statement made by Ravi Rana, an Independent Legislator supporting the ruling coalition.

The Amravati District Administration on Monday (August 19) organised a women's gathering to handover certificates to the below poverty line women beneficiaries of the state government’s Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Scheme.

Under this scheme based on Madhya Pradesh’s Ladli Behna Yojana, all women between the age of 21-65 in the state with an annual income of less than Rs 2.5 lakh will receive monetary assistance of Rs 1,500 per month.

While addressing the gathering, Rana – a three-time Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from the Badnera State Assembly Seat, threatened to take away the amount from the beneficiaries if they choose to vote for the opposition candidates over those fielded by the ruling Mahayuti coalition in the upcoming state assembly elections.

“If the government gives you something, it is your duty to give it your blessing in the form of votes. If you do that in the coming state assembly elections, I promise you that the current amount to be disbursed under the Ladki Bahin Scheme, will be raised from Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,000.

“But, if you don’t vote for us, if you do something like how you didn’t vote for Amravati's previous Member of Parliament (MP) and BJP candidate Navneet Rana, I will personally take away that amount from you. I have the right to do so as your Ladka Bhau (that is, beloved brother),” Rana said.

According to the sources, this statement has not gone down well with the senior leadership in the Mahayuti as the scheme was announced with a motive to curry favour with the women voters who can play a decisive role in the upcoming state assembly polls.

In fact, the first installment under the scheme is yet to be disbursed to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries. The amount will be released reportedly on August 19 which is also when Raksha Bandhan, a festival which celebrates the brother-sister bond is celebrated.

Within the Mahayuti, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) state unit senior leadership particularly is said to have taken a serious note of this controversial statement as MLA Rana is the husband of the former Amravati MP and BJP leader Navneet Kaur Rana.

The Rana husband – wife duo are considered to be close to Devendra Fadnavis, the Deputy Chief Minister and the party’s ultimate decision making leader in the state. This proximity to the apex leadership is also the reason why Navneet, who had won from the Amravati Lok Sabha seat in 2019 as an independent against the Mahayuti candidate, was fielded as the BJP candidate from the seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

However, Navneet could not retain the seat reportedly owing to non-cooperation from the saffron party's local cadre. This is said to be because of the charges of rowdyism against the independent MLA Rana and more so since the couple had used expletives against the BJP's senior most leaders before joining the ruling coalition.