Bihar Playbook All Over Again: DMK Transfers Cash to Women Ahead of Elections

In a move that has reignited the debate over welfare versus electoral inducement, the DMK government in Tamil Nadu has deposited ₹5,000 each into the bank accounts of 1.31 crore women beneficiaries under the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai scheme, just months ahead of the Assembly elections. Chief Minister M. K. Stalin also announced that the monthly entitlement would be doubled from ₹1,000 to ₹2,000 if the party returns to power.

The timing has prompted opposition parties to describe the move as a repeat of the “Bihar playbook” , where large cash transfers to women shortly before elections were widely credited by analysts and rival parties as a key factor behind the victory of Nitish Kumar’s NDA government.

In a video message, Stalin said the one-time payment covered installments for February, March and April , along with an additional ₹2,000 as a special summer grant , arguing that there were attempts to stall the scheme citing the election code. The Chief Minister appealed to women to use the funds for household needs, healthcare and children’s education, and expressed confidence that the DMK would retain power.

However, critics argue that the financial scale and election-year timing raise serious questions. The one-time payout alone is estimated to cost the exchequer over ₹6,500 crore , while the proposed doubling of the monthly entitlement could push the annual burden beyond ₹15,000 crore . This comes at a time when Tamil Nadu already faces high debt levels and rising committed expenditure , making the long-term sustainability of such schemes a subject of concern among fiscal experts.

Opposition leader Edappadi K Palaniswami said the announcement reflected the Chief Minister’s “fear of defeat at the hustings,” while the BJP , TVK , and AMMK accused the DMK of using public funds to influence voters. DMK ally Congress , however, defended the move as necessary relief for families grappling with inflation.

Political analysts note that the strategic use of cash transfers close to elections was pioneered in the Telugu states , setting a template now replicated elsewhere. In Telangana , the government led by K. Chandrashekar Rao rolled out the Rythu Bandhu scheme in November 2018 , barely three to four weeks before polling , crediting farmers with ₹5,000 per acre a move widely seen as instrumental in the TRS (now BRS) victory. In Andhra Pradesh , the TDP government under N. Chandrababu Naidu disbursed Pasupu–Kumkuma cash benefits to women weeks before the 2019 elections , a strategy acknowledged as electorally driven even though it failed to prevent defeat.

From Telangana (2018) to Andhra Pradesh (2019) , Bihar (2025) and now Tamil Nadu , the pattern is strikingly similar: large, highly visible cash transfers credited to women or farmers shortly before voters go to the polls . Supporters frame them as welfare measures; opponents call them state-funded election incentives .

As Tamil Nadu heads into an election year, the DMK’s latest move suggests that the Bihar playbook perfected earlier in the Telugu states is now firmly part of India’s electoral strategy , blurring the line between social support and political mobilisation.