Will the women of Maharashtra receive a gift of happiness on Makar Sankranti, January 14th? If you're confused about this, we'll clear things up for you. Municipal elections are being held in Maharashtra on January 15th, and the code of conduct is in effect in the state. The Fadnavis government wanted to deposit the December and January installments of the Ladki Bahin Yojana (Beloved Sister Scheme) into the accounts of approximately 2.5 crore women before January 15th.

However, due to opposition from the opposition parties, the matter was delayed, and now the Maharashtra Election Commission has given a major ruling on it. The Election Commission has categorically stated that the advance installment for January 2026 cannot be released. Following this decision, the financial assistance to women has been halted.

Elections in Maharashtra
Voting is scheduled for January 15th in Maharashtra. The Election Commission has considered the payment of the advance installment a violation of the code of conduct. Under the Ladki Bahin Yojana, Rs. 1500 is given to 2.5 crore women every month. After a long wait, women received the November installment at the beginning of this month. It was believed that they would now receive Rs. 3000 as a combined installment for December and January.

How much money will be credited to the accounts under the Ladki Bahin Yojana?
The Election Commission's new order means that the government can only transfer the installment for December under the Ladki Bahin Yojana. This means that only Rs. 1500 can be sent to women's accounts before January 15th. Two installments will not be sent together. The opposition has called the simultaneous payment of two installments a form of collective bribery.

The government's arguments
However, the Chief Secretary had stated that the Ladki Bahin Yojana is an ongoing scheme and its benefits can continue even during the code of conduct period. However, the commission has categorically stated that only the installment for December 2025 can be disbursed, not the one for January. There is considerable resentment among women due to the delay in receiving payments under the Ladki Bahin Yojana scheme. The payment for November was received only a few days ago, and the December payment has not yet been received. Before this, the eKYC process was underway, which caused significant difficulties for the women.

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