The NDA’s victory in Bihar in 2025 was not secured through traditional caste arithmetic or last-minute alliance manoeuvres. It was delivered by women. With a record 71.6% female turnout compared to 62.8% for men, the election showed how decisively women now shape electoral outcomes. Bihar has become the strongest example of a broader transformation underway across Indian democracy — the rise of women as an independent political constituency.

This shift has coincided with the rapid expansion of unconditional cash transfers (UCTs) targeted at women. What started as an administrative tool for smoother welfare delivery has evolved into a central political strategy. Governments in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi, Bihar, Telangana, and Karnataka have embraced women-centric cash schemes because they deliver something more powerful than welfare improvements: electoral returns.

Yet the question remains whether this new model of politics, built on direct deposits into women’s bank accounts, actually improves women’s economic lives. Recent global evidence offers a nuanced answer.

Women voters are reshaping electoral outcomes: The political prominence of UCTs to women is best understood against the backdrop of rising female voter participation. For decades, women voted at lower rates than men. That gap has not only closed but, in many states, women now outvote men.

During the 2025 Delhi assembly election, female turnout reached 60.92%, edging out the male turnout of 60.21%. It was the first time women outvoted men in the capital’s electoral history.

Bihar demonstrates an even sharper shift. Female turnout rose from 59.58% in the 2020 assembly election to 71.6% in 2025, far above male turnout in both years. This marks women as not just an engaged electorate, but the most influential swing group in the state.

Maharashtra’s 2024 assembly election showed similar patterns. Women’s turnout was approximately 65.22% statewide, slightly higher than men’s, and women cast 46.29 lakh more votes than........

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