Welfare vs welfare: How BJP trumped Mamata’s ‘pro-woman’ appeal

KOLKATA: A key pillar of Trinamool Congress’s electoral strength in West Bengal since 2011, women turned up to vote in higher numbers than men in this year’s assembly elections. Yet, the decisive swing in favour of the BJP suggests they might have gravitated away from Mamata Banerjee. What appears to have worked for the saffron party is a tactical U-turn on welfare politics, a space it had earlier criticised.

This time, the Bharatiya Janata Party embraced cash transfer schemes and also outbid the TMC on nearly every front. If the TMC offered Rs 1,500 per month to general category women under its flagship Lakshmir Bhandar scheme, the BJP promised Rs 3,000. It also pledged Rs 3,000 monthly assistance to unemployed youth and Rs 9,000 support for farmers, effectively raising the stakes in the welfare contest.

The BJP’s pitch for women’s reservation in the Lok Sabha further strengthened its outreach. According to Election Commission data, the female turnout stood at 93.2%, higher than the 91.7% ta, largely due to targeted welfare schemes. However, analysts suggest the mood may have shifted. Kolkata-based Sabar Institute director Sabir Ahamed said women’s safety emerged as a significant issue.

He said the Aug 2024 rape-and-murder case of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital was a pivotal point on this count. “Women responded strongly to it. The BJP’s higher-value cash transfer promises may also have appealed more,” he said.

Job opportunities and healthcare were other factors that may have aided the BJP’s surge, said Rabindra Bharati University former vice-chancellor Sabyasachi Basu Ray Chaudhury. Ahamed also pointed to the West Bengal School Service Commission recruitment scam, which had a wide impact.

In April 2025, the Supreme Court invalidated 25,753 appointments linked to the cash-for-jobs scam in teaching and nonteaching roles. The scam had a fallout on the electoral outcome too. “It appears women voters were not just looking for financial assistance, but employment opportunities and a credible vision for their future,” Basu Ray Chaudhury said.
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