How Aam Aadmi Party Is Building A Massive Village Network Of Women Ahead Of Punjab Polls

Aam Aadmi Party is building a massive ground network of women across Punjab villages through welfare schemes and local roles as the state heads towards the next Assembly elections. Salamati Chauhan, a 44-year-old elected panch from Machhli Kalan village on the border of Mohali and Fatehgarh Sahib districts, serves as the lead Mahila Sarkar Sakhi in her village of 2,500 voters. Her ward had always voted Congress, but she won this time and believes women played a decisive role. As the lead Sakhi, she was tasked with registering women for the Maavan Dheeyan Satkar Yojana, under which every eligible woman gets Rs 1,000 a month and Dalit women get Rs 1,500. The Bhagwant Mann government claims 97% of the women in Punjab are now covered by the scheme. The scheme was one of the government's guarantees when it came to power in 2022 and was implemented in July, when three months' money was transferred in advance. Beneficiaries received Rs 3,000 for July, August, and September, and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has promised a second instalment covering October, November, and December. Mann has been telling women in public outreach events called Lok Milnis that their phones would once again go ring on October 1. Initially, party workers were supposed to handle registrations, but the strategy changed to rope in over a dozen non-party member women as Sakhis in every constituency who got codes and households, earning Rs 100 for every registration with a promise of Rs 200 more if the party is re-elected. Veteran editor and former AAP MLA Kanwar Sandhu points out the financial math behind this, noting that the state spends about Rs 9,600 crore a year to cover roughly 68 lakh women, while paying dearness allowance arrears to 6.25 lakh employees would cost over Rs 14,191 crore, leading the state to approach the apex court to clear arrears in instalments. Beyond cash, Salamati also works as the Nasha Mukti coordinator for nine villages, handles MGNREGA work for over 75 women, and recently took on the role of BLO 2 to track voters. Meanwhile, village residents have also been sent on state-sponsored teerath yatra tours to Amritsar and Vrindavan, and teachers note a social shift with more working women and changing household roles.