The Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP SP) has accused the Maharashtra government of orchestrating a scam through the `Ladki Bahin Yojana`, a state welfare scheme intended to support women from low-income households.
The party has demanded a Special Investigation Team (SIT) inquiry into alleged irregularities, claiming the scheme was used to influence voters ahead of the 2024 Assembly elections.
Clyde Crasto, spokesperson for the NCP (SP), cited an RTI response revealing that 12,431 men received Rs 1,500 each for 13 months, a total of Rs 24.24 crore, under a scheme designed exclusively for women from families earning less than Rs 2.5 lakh annually, according to the PTI.
“This scheme was a calculated move to mislead the people of Maharashtra and secure votes for the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance,” Crasto said.
He mockingly stated that the government turned “brothers into sisters” just for electoral gains.
Crasto also referred to the Mahayuti government’s earlier admission that over 26 lakh ineligible people had received benefits under the scheme, calling it “hilarious chicanery” and a massive failure in implementation.
He demanded that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis take responsibility and order an SIT probe, the news agency reported.
Joining in, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray alleged a scam worth Rs 164 crore, suggesting political collusion and misuse of government machinery.
“Cheating in the name of welfare schemes is a classic trick of the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance. The same is happening in the BMC,” Aaditya Thackeray posted on X.
बोगस लाभार्थ्यांनी सरकारच्या लाडकी बहिण योजनेचा लाभ घेत १६४ कोटी रुपयांचा घोटाळा केल्याची बातमी ऐन दिवाळीत बाहेर येतेय. सरकारी यंत्रणेच्या वापराशिवाय आणि राजकीय वरदहस्त असल्याशिवाय हे घडणं शक्य तरी आहे का?
योजनांच्या नावांआड जनतेच्या पैश्यांवर डल्ला मारायचा आणि सरकारी तिजोरी… pic.twitter.com/ucsoBRz3cY
— Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) October 22, 2025
He contrasted the government`s actions with the plight of farmers in Maharashtra, many of whom suffered crop loss and soil erosion due to heavy rains and floods but have received little aid, as per the PTI.
Earlier in July, Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare confirmed that 26.34 lakh beneficiaries were found ineligible and had their stipends paused.
The list included duplicate beneficiaries, households with more than two applicants, and in some cases, men posing as eligible recipients.
Aditi Tatkare stated that all claims were being reviewed by district collectors, and only verified beneficiaries would resume receiving the monthly allowance. The minister assured that appropriate action would be taken against bogus claimants, the news agency reported.
(with PTI inputs)
