Dole politics is all set to play an important part in the upcoming Bengal election, indicated by the intensifying competition between the Trinamool Congress and the BJP during the pre-poll campaign.
Dole politics gathered momentum after the Mamata Banerjee government announced a hike of ₹500 in Lakshmir Bhandar, the state’s flagship welfare scheme, on February 5 when the state tabled its vote-on-account in the election year.
The revised amount was credited to the accounts of around 2.42 crore beneficiaries on February 6, just one day after.
It is widely believed that the Trinamool flagship scheme Lakshmir Bhandar played a crucial role in retaining women voters' support in the 2021 Assembly polls. Party insiders suggest that the scheme's announcement ahead of the 2021 Assembly polls helped Mamata Banerjee in a large measure to return to power for a third consecutive term.
Understanding the impact of the Lakshmir Bhandar hike, BJP leaders have already begun campaigning at pre-poll rallies, promising that the party would credit ₹3,000 to the bank accounts of women if it comes to power.
Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday offered a clearer assurance at a party rally in Birbhum.
“A BJP government will be formed either at the end of April or in the first week of May this year. The BJP promises that once we come to power, ₹3,000 will be credited to the bank accounts of women in Bengal. If the government is formed in April, the money will be credited from May; if it is formed in May, it will be credited from June,” Adhikari told the audience at a public meeting in Ganpur, Birbhum, on Sunday.
Since the revised amount was credited, Trinamool had been celebrating the hike along with local women, flooding social media with pictures of celebrations. Many Trinamool leaders had started campaigning on the ground that the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme would be stopped if the BJP comes to power. Party leaders like Saokat Molla had also indicated that the Lakshmir Bhandar-like benefit scheme could be stopped for those who oppose Mamata Banerjee and her party.
BJP insiders said that although party leaders have so far verbally promised to double the amount currently being provided under Lakshmir Bhandar, the final figure might even be increased in the BJP election manifesto after a review by the top leadership.
“We have already started collecting suggestions from people for our poll manifesto and are waiting to know what the people, particularly the women of Bengal, want. Based on their demands, the dole amount will be officially announced in the manifesto,” said a BJP leader.
Not only Lakshmir Bhandar, but also the BJP’s strong Hindutva line and the possibility of intensified Hindu consolidation following the turmoil in Bangladesh have prompted Mamata Banerjee to expand her party's outreach. She has been trying to woo workers from other sectors as well, including those employed on a contractual basis and those in the unorganised sector, such as gig workers of e-commerce and quick commerce platforms.
To counter this strategy of extending welfare to new sections, the BJP has also been planning to keep dole provisions in their manifesto for sectors that it claims have been neglected or inadequately addressed by the Mamata government.
Adhikari said on Sunday that the party’s manifesto would include enhanced financial assistance for several such groups.
“Not only women, but also beneficiaries of old-age pensions, widow pensions, allowances for the physically challenged, SC-ST allowances, and cultural workers will receive the benefits that the BJP commits to in its Sankalpa Patra (poll manifesto),” he said.
A party source said the BJP was reviewing all possible sectors and social groups in an attempt to understand public sentiment. Beyond public suggestions, the party’s manifesto committee, headed by former Trinamool MLA Tapas Roy, has been exploring how to address the concerns of women, students, educated unemployed youth, and communities including tribals, Matuas and Rajbanshis.
“There is no doubt that Bengal’s electoral politics will revolve around dole politics.... However, the Trinamool Congress will always have an advantage because it has already been delivering benefits. The BJP’s task is to convince voters that it would be a better choice. Trinamool can seek votes based on work already done, while the BJP must first build trust,” said political scientist Biswanath Chakraborty.