PATNA, May 29 -- After thrusting caste census and enhanced reservation as key electoral agendas, the Congress party has now shifted its campaign focus to the 'Mai Bahin Maan' Yojana in a bid to woo women voters ahead of the Bihar assembly elections. Just days after All India Mahila Congress (AIMC) president Alka Lamba unveiled the scheme as a poll promise at a function held at Sadaqat Ashram - the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) headquarters - All India Congress Committee (AICC) social media head Supriya Shrinate launched an attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)], accusing them of betraying women with false promises. Shrinate announced that under the proposed scheme, the Congress-led government would provide a monthly stipend of Rs.2,500 to all girls and women if voted to power. "This is an attempt to empower women. History shows that societies thrive where women are empowered," she said. Cash incentive schemes for women have become a proven election-winning strategy. Similar announcements in Telangana and Jharkhand are credited with helping the Congress and its allies secure majorities. The BJP has also successfully leveraged such promises in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Delhi. Touting the Mai Bahin Maan scheme as a potential game changer, Shrinate alleged that women in Bihar have grown disillusioned with the BJP's broken promises. "The BJP made grand announcements under schemes like Ladli Behna in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Delhi, but failed to fulfill them after the elections," she claimed. "Our scheme will not only provide financial support but also help make women self-reliant and empowered." Shrinate further said women in Bihar are beginning to trust Congress's promises because of its track record of fulfilling poll commitments. "The BJP had promised Rs.2,500 per month to women but reneged after winning. In Maharashtra, they pledged to increase assistance from Rs.1,500 to Rs.2,100, but forgot the promise post-election. To make things worse, the Mahayuti government delisted about nine lakh beneficiaries from the Ladli Behna scheme and slashed the scheme's budget for 2025-26," she added. Echoing similar sentiments, BPCC media department head Rajesh Kumar Rathore accused the BJP of promising to raise the stipend under the Ladli Behna Yojana from Rs.1,250 to Rs.3,000 but failing to deliver. "JD(U), too, had promised Rs.2 lakh to 94 lakh poor families and the publication of the caste-based economic survey but didn't give a single rupee," he said. Political analyst and former professor Ramashankar Arya remarked that Congress has picked issues where the BJP's implementation record is weak. "BJP agreed to conduct a caste census only under pressure from Congress and other opposition parties. The party is also reluctant to discuss increasing reservation limits. On women's stipends, the BJP has little to counter the Congress's criticism," Arya said. Meanwhile, senior BJP leader and deputy chief minister Samrat Chaudhary hit back, saying the Congress should introspect before pointing fingers. "The BJP has fulfilled its promises and lived up to public expectations. It is the Congress that forgets voters once elections are over," he retorted....