The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) accused the Mahayuti government of winning power in Maharashtra by manipulating the Ladki Bahin Yojana, deceiving around one crore women with government funds. The party called this a “global scam” and demanded a probe by a sitting High Court judge after 80 lakh women were deemed ineligible due to an e-KYC process under the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana.
In an editorial in the party’s mouthpiece ‘Saamana,’ the Shiv Sena alleged government involvement in a scam and called for the seizure of their property. The editorial highlighted that during the Maharashtra Assembly elections, the trio of Devendra Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde, and Ajit Pawar introduced the Ladki Bahin Yojana, offering a monthly allowance to 2.38 crore women, leading to allegations of vote-buying through fund diversion.
The editorial further revealed that 80 lakh women were disqualified due to incomplete ‘KYC,’ indicating the misuse of government funds to influence votes. It criticized the Election Commission for allegedly turning a blind eye to the corruption. The Shiv Sena emphasized the need to recover the misused funds from the responsible individuals rather than the ineligible beneficiaries.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena insisted on seizing the assets of the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Ministers involved in the alleged scam. They called for anti-corruption measures against the government officials responsible for the fund distribution without proper verification. The editorial stressed the necessity of fresh elections in Maharashtra due to the illegal distribution of government money to influence votes.
According to the editorial, the Ladki Bahin Yojana and Skill Development Schemes were labeled as major scams, prompting the party to demand a thorough investigation by a sitting High Court judge. The Shiv Sena expressed skepticism about the ruling dispensation taking appropriate actions, highlighting their alleged negligence in implementing necessary processes like ‘KYC’ before the scheme rollout.
