A fierce political battle has broken out in Bihar over the rollout of the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana, a flagship women-centric financial assistance scheme that was central to the Bihar Assembly elections 2025. The scheme promised financial support to women in phases — starting with an initial ₹10,000 and scaling up to ₹2.10 lakh for those engaged in employment and self-employment activities. More than six months after the ruling alliance's victory, opposition leaders are charging that the promises remain unfulfilled.

What the Opposition Alleged

Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav alleged that Bihar's fiscal position had deteriorated sharply and claimed the state treasury was virtually empty. He accused the government of deceiving women voters with pre-election financial pledges that have since gone unmet.

Yadav also questioned the government's decision to withdraw ₹3,662 crore from the Bihar Contingency Fund to pay social security pensions for May, June, and July 2026. He argued that contingency funds are ordinarily reserved for emergencies and unforeseen crises, and that tapping them for routine pension disbursements signals a serious fiscal strain. He further alleged that corruption was rampant and development activity had slowed considerably.

Poll strategist Prashant Kishor also trained his sights on the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), alleging that women voters were persuaded with the promise of ₹2 lakh assistance after receiving ₹10,000 during the election period. He questioned why the larger promised amount had not reached beneficiaries' accounts and said women were still waiting.

Ruling Alliance Rejects the Charges

The NDA government has firmly pushed back against the allegations. Union Minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) patron Jitan Ram Manjhi dismissed Yadav's remarks, asserting that Bihar's double-engine government faced no fund shortage owing to strong support from the Centre under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He added that governments routinely borrow for development works and accused the opposition of misleading the public.

Bihar Planning and Development Minister Bhagwan Singh Kushwaha clarified that the government had never committed to a one-time payment of ₹2 lakh. According to him, the total assistance of ₹2.10 lakh would be disbursed in multiple instalments under the employment scheme. He maintained that the state treasury was not empty and assured that all commitments made by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar would be honoured by the Samrat Choudhary government.

Scheme Status on the Ground

Rural Development Minister Shravan Kumar stated that the government had already disbursed ₹10,000 each to approximately 1.81 crore rural women to encourage livelihood activities. He said women who had commenced such activities would soon receive an additional ₹20,000 instalment, for which beneficiaries would contribute ₹5,000 from their own resources.

The minister added that applications from nearly 18 lakh women in urban areas were under scrutiny and, after verification, they too would receive the initial ₹10,000 support. According to the government, the total ₹2.10 lakh assistance will be disbursed across five instalments over time.

Political Stakes and Background

The Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana carried significant electoral weight during the Bihar Assembly elections 2025, and the NDA secured a decisive victory in which the scheme featured prominently. The delay in subsequent instalments and competing interpretations of what was actually promised have now transformed the welfare scheme into a live political flashpoint. Notably, this is not the first time a pre-election welfare pledge in Bihar has faced scrutiny over post-poll delivery — a pattern that opposition parties have repeatedly sought to exploit.

With the next round of disbursements pending and urban applications still under review, the pressure on the state government to demonstrate fiscal headroom and delivery capacity is only set to intensify.