Maharashtra: Aam Aadmi Party Alleges Rs 4,300 Crore Election Scam in ‘Ladki Bahin’ Scheme; Demands Action Against Officials and Ministers
Pune, 29th July 2025: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Pune has leveled serious allegations against the Maharashtra government, calling the disbursement of funds to ineligible beneficiaries under the ‘Ladki Bahin’ scheme a pre-election financial scam worth Rs 4,300 crore. Speaking to the media, AAP Maharashtra spokesperson Mukund Kirdat claimed that the scheme was used as a political tool by the ruling Mahayuti alliance to attract votes, particularly from women, ahead of the 2024 elections.
Kirdat cited figures revealed by Minister Aditi Tatkare, who admitted that out of 2.25 crore beneficiaries who received funds for the month of June, at least 26.34 lakh were found to be ineligible. This includes over 14,300 male beneficiaries, despite the scheme being exclusively for women. Kirdat stated this indicates that nearly 11% of the recipients were not eligible, pointing to widespread misuse of the scheme.
He alleged that many of these fake or ineligible applications were submitted through party offices and local booths set up by workers of the BJP, Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction, and the Shinde-led Shiv Sena. The forms, Kirdat said, were filled with false information intentionally and strategically, to ensure maximum disbursement before polls. Opposition leaders, he claimed, had distanced themselves from such tactics.
The scheme, launched in July 2024, transferred its first installment to beneficiaries’ bank accounts on 14th August 2024. However, with Rs 4,300 crore already disbursed in a year, including to ineligible and even male recipients, AAP is now calling this an “unprecedented bribe-for-votes scam.”
Finance Minister Ajit Pawar had earlier acknowledged flaws in the process, stating that there was little time between the scheme’s rollout and the elections, and admitted “a mistake was made.” However, he ruled out recovering funds from the beneficiaries or punishing ineligible women, placing the blame on the applicants instead.
In contrast, Kirdat demanded accountability from the top. “If ineligible beneficiaries won’t face action, then why aren’t ministers and bureaucrats who approved these applications being held responsible?” he questioned. He emphasized that in past welfare schemes like farm loan waivers, due diligence was mandatory before disbursing funds, a principle clearly ignored here.
Labeling the disbursement to fake beneficiaries as deliberate and not merely an administrative lapse, Kirdat accused the government of orchestrating a vote-buying conspiracy. He urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, both Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, the Women and Child Development Department, and concerned administrative officials to be held accountable.
AAP has demanded that the government immediately disclose the full extent of the financial irregularities and publish a comprehensive report on the total amount misallocated under the scheme.
