Back in November 2020, as the analysis of the Bihar assembly elections rolled in, Nitish Kumar was pleasantly surprised to know the extent to which the female vote had swung in his favour. This, however, was not a feat achieved overnight; most commentators would argue that women voters have traditionally formed part of Nitish Kumar’s silent majority, and that his focus has rarely wavered from them.
He had run multiple schemes that focussed on women empowerment, from the provision of bicycles to campaigns against dowry deaths. While the Opposition tried to highlight that atrocities against women in Bihar have not reduced, pre-poll surveys had estimated that over 40 percent of Bihar’s women voters were keen to retain the Nitish Kumar government.
Much like the NDA in Bihar, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the BJP will be looking to woo the women vote-base through similar campaign-styling, messaging and ground tactics.