Mumba

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said the state government would consider the demand to rename the Ladki Bahin scheme after late Deputy Chief Minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar.

Responding to a query from reporters in Haridwar, Fadnavis said, “There are several demands. We will sit together and think how to go about it.”

The demand was raised on Tuesday by NCP MLC Amol Mitkari, who urged the government to rename its flagship Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana as a tribute to Ajit Pawar, who was killed along with four others in a plane crash at Baramati in Pune district on January 28.

Mitkari said Pawar, fondly known as ‘Ajitdada’, enjoyed strong affection among women across Maharashtra.

“His wrist would be full of rakhis when he travelled across the state during his yatras. Renaming the scheme as ‘Ajitdadanchi Ladki Bahin Yojana’ would be a true tribute to him,” Mitkari said.

The Ladki Bahin scheme, announced by Ajit Pawar during his tenure as finance minister and rolled out in July 2024, provides monthly financial assistance of ₹1,500 to eligible women aged between 21 and 65 years through direct bank transfer.

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The scheme is widely believed to have played a significant role in the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance’s victory in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections.