Amma’s legacy or Stalin’s schemes? Women voters in Tamil Nadu rate AIADMK, DMK ahead of polls

After coming to power in 2021, DMK tried to tap into women's vote bank by introducing a slew of schemes. They are a hit for some, but others still reminisce about the AIADMK days.

File photo of women voters in Tamil Nadu | ANI

Chennai: Women-centric social welfare initiatives, such as the Zero-Ticket Bus Travel Scheme and the Rs 1,000 financial assistance programme for eligible women, introduced by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led government in Tamil Nadu, are factors that may work in the party’s favour in the state.

However, the cancellation of programmes such as the Gold for Mangalsutra scheme, established during the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) government to provide assistance to women getting married, may have added to the concerns of Tamil Nadu’s women voters.

Ever since the infamous incident in 1989 when former chief minister and then Leader of the Opposition J Jayalalithaa was allegedly disrespected in the state assembly — she walked out with dishevelled hair, a torn saree and tears in her eyes — political watchers have said that the majority of women in Tamil Nadu have largely always supported AIADMK.

However, after her death in 2016, a big chunk of women voters who had been voting for the AIADMK for decades were left to look for an alternative, with few women leaders in the party. 

According to the final electoral roll released by the Election Commission of India, there are about 6.18 crore voters in Tamil Nadu, of which 3.14 crore are women and 3.03 crore are men.

When the DMK came to power in 2021, it introduced a slew of schemes for women. And while a section of women voters ThePrint spoke to is happy with the government’s focus on their empowerment, some say these efforts cannot be compared to what Jayalalithaa’s AIADMK did for women.

While DMK spokesperson T.K.S. Elangovan cited these schemes and expressed confidence that women voters would back his party, the AIADMK’s R.M. Babu Murugavel believes his own party’s support base from Jayalalithaa’s days is intact.

Is DMK doing enough?

A cross-section of women to whom ThePrint spoke said that the DMK is now implementing schemes that empower women.

“I have been travelling from my village to the city every day for a daily wage. Some days, I get work and some days, I don’t. But I would find out only after I go to the city and for that, I had to invest at least Rs 50 up and down. Now I am saving that money,” said A. Veerammal, a resident of Errampatti in Madurai district.

Free bus travel for women in government-run buses up to 30 kilometres was among the first five initiatives implemented by Chief Minister MK Stalin, soon after assuming charge in 2021. A year later, the State Planning Commission conducted a survey and studied the impact the scheme had had on women users and their households.

According to the report, about 50 percent of the women travellers were aged over 40 years, indicating the popularity of zero-ticket travel among the older women in Tamil Nadu. It was also found that although the scheme was operational in buses originating from urban places, women from rural households benefitted more from it than the urban users.

“Of the total users, 39 percent of users belong to Scheduled Castes (SC), 21 percent to Most Backward Classes (MBC) and 18 percent to Backward Classes (BC). This distribution shows the majority of women benefited are from marginalised social groups,” the report read, adding that on average, women save about Rs 888 every month via zero-ticket travel.

Another popular scheme for women’s welfare by the DMK has been the Rs 1,000 monthly financial aid. Women feel that it helped them in managing their monthly household expenses. “It may not be a big amount, but it helps me at least pay my monthly gas bill. At a time when the rise in the price of commodities has taken a toll on every family, schemes such as these can help us,” said Vaithegi, a domestic worker from Coimbatore.

However, not everybody is happy, as not all women are eligible for the assistance.

“At the time the poll promise was made, we were told that all women would get financial aid. But, after coming to power, they say that only eligible women would get it, and we never get to know the eligibility,” said M Tamilarasi, a daily wage worker from Selvapuram in Coimbatore.

Although she was unhappy that she did not receive the Rs 1,000, she was happy for her friends who were eligible. “At least this government is giving some money to women like the previous AIADMK government. I have reapplied, let’s see how it goes,” she said.

All not well for DMK?

The DMK’s strategy may have worked for a section, but some women are unhappy about the current government doing away with schemes launched during the AIADMK’s rule.

Despite being happy about the ruling party having a stable leadership, unlike the AIADMK, M. Meenakshi, a college professor and Coimbatore resident, said, “It is unfair to stop the AIADMK’s Gold for Mangalsutra scheme. They used to provide financial assistance to women who were about to get married. In total, at the time of marriage, the women would receive around Rs 1 lakh. This is now scrapped,” she said.

The Gold for Mangalsutra scheme was launched by Jayalalithaa in 2011. Dumping the scheme in 2022, Stalin launched the Moovalur Ramamirtham Ammaiyar Higher Education Assurance Scheme or Pudhumai Penn’ Through this, the government offers financial aid of Rs 1000 per month to girls who have studied from Class 6 to Class 12 in government schools and are pursuing higher education at any recognised college or university.

While this financial aid is limited to only those who have studied in government schools, the mangalsutra scheme was beneficial to all women who have completed their graduation, said Meenakshi. 

Saying that the schemes introduced by Jayalalithaa cannot be equated to what Stalin has done, she added, “At least, he is the only stable leader we have now who can work for women’s empowerment, unlike the AIADMK leaders who are fighting among themselves.”

Some of them credited former chief minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami for his work during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Though he could not introduce any new schemes for women, he ensured that all households get the COVID financial aid, irrespective of their background. At that time, we had a say. We could ask them to clean the drainage or conduct medical camps, but now we cannot reach anybody in the DMK for any help,” said Sharanya M, a working professional based in Velandipalayam in Coimbatore.

But DMK spokesperson Elangovan believes that there are multiple other schemes introduced by the current government that have benefited Tamil Nadu’s women. He said that he was confident that women voters would back his party.

“It was our DMK government that passed an order to issue ration cards to single women considering them as family. And these are just recent examples. The late M. Karunanidhi was the first leader in the country to pass a law giving women equal rights over family properties,” he added.

However, AIADMK spokesperson Babu Murugavel recalled the 1989 incident. “They don’t have the right to talk about the upliftment and empowerment of women. Ever since our Amma’s (Jayalalithaa’s) days, women have been supporting AIADMK for helping them with a range of schemes, from starting school to giving birth to their babies. So, our women’s support base is very much intact,” he said.

(Edited by Mannat Chugh)