New Delhi: The Maharashtra government’s move to transfer two instalments of the Mukhyamantri–Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana to beneficiaries a day before the upcoming municipal elections has triggered a sharp political confrontation between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led (BJP-led) Mahayuti alliance and the opposition Congress.The government announced that payments for December 2025 and January 2026, amounting to Rs 3,000, would be credited to beneficiaries’ bank accounts on January 14, just 24 hours ahead of polling in several civic bodies. The Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has approached the State Election Commission (SEC), objecting to the timing of the disbursement.In its complaint, the Congress alleged that releasing two months’ instalments on the eve of elections amounted to a “collective government bribe” and violated the model code of conduct. The party argued that the move was aimed at influencing more than one crore women voters and urged the commission to instruct the government to defer the transfer until voting is completed.Rejecting the allegations, revenue minister and Nagpur district guardian minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule defended the government’s decision, calling the Congress’s objections politically motivated. He maintained that the Ladki Bahin scheme was launched well before the announcement of civic polls and was unrelated to the electoral process. “This is an ongoing welfare programme of the state govt. For polls in 29 civic bodies, women across the entire state cannot be deprived of their rightful benefits,” Bawankule said at a press conference.He added that halting the payments would effectively discriminate against women beneficiaries, noting that the scheme could not be paused to suit election timelines. “With nearly 2.5 crore beneficiaries, stopping payments because of elections would cause real hardship. Welfare cannot be switched on and off for political convenience,” he said.Bawankule also accused the Congress of attempting to obstruct the scheme since its inception. “When this government launched the scheme, Congress tried everything to stop it. Former MPCC president Nana Patole attempted to derail the scheme by encouraging a petition in the high court,” he alleged.