India, Jan. 12 -- Even in their campaign for the civic polls, the ruling allies BJP and Shiv Sena are appealing to women voters by sounding the 'Ladki Bahin' (dear sister) tune, reminding them about the popular scheme, which turned out to be a key reason behind their return to power in 2024. The stress on Ladki Bahin scheme, in which Rs.1,500 is given to poor women each month, is pretty much visible in the advertisements of the two parties-whether on television or on banners.

A BJP ad has a woman talking about Devabhau (CM Devendra Fadnavis) sending her money every month and therefore, how could she not vote for him. Shinde's billboard and TV ads are mentioning him as 'Ladka Bhau' (dear brother). In his campaign rallies, Shinde makes it ...