Let’s first get the caveats out of the way. Some are calling the ₹10,000 deposits into the bank accounts of 14.1 million women a bribe. There are legitimate questions about the ethics of a cash deposit scheme launched two months before a crucial election. And, without a doubt, the deposits raise concerns about the Election Commission’s credibility and impartiality.

But equally, it is clear that it is women who swung the vote for the NDA alliance, Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) and the BJP, that has swept back into power, winning 202 out of 243 assembly seats.

Nitish is now set to take the oath of office for the 10th time. As the results were coming in, the JD (U) handle tweeted: “The trust of Bihar’s women triumphed. The NDA has triumphed, Bihar has triumphed.”

In the days to come, analysts will look at the historic female voter turnout of 71.6%—the largest ever in Bihar’s electoral history, leagues ahead of the 62.8% turnout of male voters and likely one of the highest in any assembly election in India.

Analysis by The Telegraph shows the NDA had an advantage in 96 of 113 constituencies where female voters outnumbered men by over 10 percentage points.

How much of a difference did the cash deposits make? The........

© hindustantimes