Bihar – Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made a strategic push to maximize Bihar women voter turnout in the upcoming assembly elections, directing BJP women workers to ensure female electors cast their votes in large numbers. During a virtual interaction on Tuesday under the ‘Mera Booth Sabse Mazboot’ campaign, the Prime Minister emphasized the crucial role women voters play in determining electoral outcomes and urged party workers to mobilize them effectively.
Strategic Focus on Women Voters
The emphasis on Bihar women voter turnout reflects the recognition by political strategists that women constitute a decisive voting bloc in the state. Prime Minister Modi specifically instructed Panna Pramukhs—booth-level coordinators responsible for managing small clusters of voters—to ensure that women in their respective Pannas cast their votes first, demonstrating the priority the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) places on female voter participation.
Modi’s interaction with BJP women workers came as part of the broader ‘Mera Booth Sabse Mazboot’ (My Booth is the Strongest) campaign, which aims to strengthen the party’s grassroots organization and voter mobilization efforts. Earlier, the Prime Minister had also interacted with BJP cadres and youth workers under the same campaign, highlighting that women and youth voters hold special significance for both major alliances competing for power in Bihar.
Historical Trends in Bihar Women Voter Turnout
The focus on Bihar women voter turnout is backed by compelling historical data that demonstrates women’s superior participation rates compared to men over the past three assembly elections. These statistics provide a clear rationale for the intensive mobilization efforts targeting female voters.
In the 2020 assembly elections, Bihar women voter turnout reached 59.69%, significantly surpassing the male turnout of 54.45%. This 5.24 percentage point gap illustrated women’s greater engagement with the electoral process and their commitment to exercising their democratic rights.
The trend was even more pronounced in 2015, when Bihar women voter turnout hit 60.48%, compared to just 53.32% for male voters. This 7.16 percentage point difference represented the widest gender gap in voter participation during the three-election period being analyzed.
Even in 2010, Bihar women voter turnout exceeded male participation, with 54.49% of women casting their ballots compared to 51.12% of men. The consistent pattern across all three elections demonstrates that women voters are not only a reliable voting bloc but also exhibit higher turnout rates than their male counterparts.
NDA’s Commitment to Women’s Empowerment
Prime Minister Modi connected the push for Bihar women voter turnout to his government’s broader commitment to improving the ease of living for women and empowering them across various spheres. He highlighted specific policy initiatives that the NDA government has undertaken to benefit women in Bihar and throughout the country.
“The NDA government has worked to make the lives of women easy and empower them,” Modi stated during the virtual interaction. He pointed to concrete measures such as reduced electricity expenses that directly impact household budgets typically managed by women. Additionally, he announced plans to introduce metro services in several cities across Bihar, which would improve urban mobility and safety for women commuters.
Also Read: Bihar Assembly Elections 2025: Explosive JP Nadda Attack on RJD’s ‘Jungle Raj’
These development initiatives are positioned as reasons why Bihar women voter turnout should favor the NDA, as the alliance portrays itself as the political force most committed to addressing women’s concerns and improving their quality of life.
Predictions of Electoral Victory
While discussing Bihar women voter turnout, Prime Minister Modi expressed strong confidence in the NDA’s electoral prospects, predicting a decisive victory that would surpass the coalition’s performance over the past two decades. “I have seen this election closely, and one thing I can say is that the NDA is winning this election with a huge majority. I have no doubt about NDA’s victory,” he declared.
The Prime Minister claimed that Bihar residents have made up their minds to support the NDA and “break the record of the last 20 years.” He predicted that opposition parties, particularly the RJD and Congress—whom he dismissed as representatives of “jungle raj” (lawless rule)—would suffer their biggest defeat. “The people of ‘jungle raj’ will see their biggest defeat. The development of Bihar can only be done under the NDA,” Modi asserted.
Motivating Women Workers
Recognizing that Bihar women voter turnout depends significantly on effective grassroots mobilization, Prime Minister Modi praised the efforts of BJP women workers in the state. “The women workers of the Bihar BJP are doing splendid work with the resolve of ‘Mera Booth, Sabse Mazboot’,” he said, acknowledging their contribution to the party’s ground-level campaign efforts.
This recognition serves multiple purposes: it validates the work already being done, motivates continued efforts in the final days before voting, and reinforces the message that women’s participation—both as campaign workers and as voters—is central to the BJP’s electoral strategy.
The Broader Political Context
The intensive focus on Bihar women voter turnout occurs within a highly competitive electoral environment where both major alliances are vying for power. The NDA, comprising primarily the BJP and Janata Dal (United) led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, faces the INDIA bloc coalition led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal and Congress.
Given the historical data showing consistently higher Bihar women voter turnout compared to men, both alliances recognize that winning over female voters could prove decisive. However, the NDA’s explicit campaign strategy targeting women voters, combined with its emphasis on women’s empowerment initiatives, suggests the coalition believes it has a competitive advantage in appealing to this demographic.
Looking Ahead
As the Bihar assembly elections approach, the emphasis on Bihar women voter turnout will likely intensify. Prime Minister Modi’s direct engagement with women workers and his specific instructions to prioritize female voter mobilization signal that the NDA views women’s participation as potentially decisive in determining the election’s outcome and securing the massive majority the Prime Minister has predicted.
