Bihar witnessed a historic voter turnout in the first phase of its Assembly elections on Thursday, recording 64.66 percent polling. This marks the highest participation ever in the state, with over 3.75 crore voters casting their votes. Political analysts credit the surge to several factors, including youth enthusiasm, awareness about vote security, and the strong participation of Jeevika Didis.
Both the ruling NDA and the opposition Grand Alliance had focused heavily on women voters this time. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s government provided ₹10,000 each to over 1.4 crore women under the Jeevika scheme. He also promised to extend this benefit to the remaining beneficiaries by December and support women’s self-help groups with funds up to ₹2 lakh.
Meanwhile, opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav announced a ₹30,000 monthly salary for Jeevika Didis, along with permanent jobs, extra honorariums, and insurance benefits.
The Jeevika project, launched in 2006 with World Bank aid, empowers rural women through self-help groups. Over 1 crore women are now part of Jeevika, led by more than one lakh community mobilizers known as Jeevika Didis. Their influence in villages has emerged as a key force shaping Bihar’s political landscape.
