JD(U) begins women outreach drive

Hindustan Times

5 days ago

After the BJP, its alliance partner JD(U)'s women's wing has launched an intensive public outreach campaign — from the state to the booth level — to connect with the state's women voters as the assembly polls in the state are drawing near. JD(U) begins women outreach drive
Women form nearly 48% of the total voting population.
As against BJP's women outreach plan aimed at covering 120 assembly segments in first phase, the JD(U) has started its campaign to reach out to women across the state and in all constituencies simultaneously.
The party held an important meeting of women leaders recently in which state party president Umesh Kushwaha held a detailed discussion keeping the goal of '225 seats in 2025 and Nitish again' at the centre.
'A strategy was decided to strengthen the organisation, ensure active participation of women workers and accelerate the work of the party at the grassroots level. It was also decided that the women's unit of JD(U) will run an extensive public relations campaign and will take the welfare schemes and developmental achievements of the government to the people,' said Kushwaha.
'Under the leadership of Nitish Kumar, Bihar has witnessed transformative initiatives aimed at women empowerment, bringing remarkable changes to their lives. Landmark measures such as free education for girls from KG to post-graduation, prohibition of alcohol, free bicycles for school-going girls, 35% reservation for women in government jobs, and 50% reservation in panchayat elections have significantly uplifted the status of women across the state,' said Anupriya Yadav, JD(U) state spokesperson.
The JD (U) does not want to leave these achievements and works go unnoticed. 'To further spread awareness of these achievements, the women's wing of JD(U) has launched a campaign wherein female party workers will visit every district, engaging women through community talks, door-to-door visits, and seminars. This outreach aims to ensure that the positive impact of CM Nitish Kumar's policies is communicated effectively, inspiring more women to take advantage of these opportunities. Such initiatives not only showcase progressive governance but also pave the way for a more inclusive and empowered Bihar,' said Anupriya Yadav.
The JD(U) feels that Kumar's contribution to the welfare and upliftment of women is unmatched in any other state of the country.
Earlier, Kumar himself, in a bid to reach out to women voters, had launched 'Mahila Samvad Rath' under which JD(U) workers visited different districts of Bihar and inform women about the efforts made by the Nitish government to uplift their socio-economic condition. The campaign also highlighted the schemes related to women's empowerment, employment, and education.
The Nitish government is also relying heavily on the members of the 10.75 lakh women self-help groups (SHGs) to 'act as a link' between the JD(U) and women voters, a party leader said, adding that 'women are the political force of the JD(U)'.
'Though the women voters are not taken seriously by parties, they have turned out to be the decisive voters in the recent Bihar Assembly elections 2020. This was the third time consecutively when women had outnumbered the men voters. In three phases of Bihar elections, women voters' turnout increased consistently from the first phase to the third phase. In the first phase, they voted 5% more than men, in the second phase 6%, and in the third phase, they outnumbered men by 11% benefitting NDA the most,' said Gyananendra Yadav, associate professor of Sociology, College of Commerce, Patna.