Kolkata, Mar 20 (PTI) The TMC on Friday unveiled its manifesto for the West Bengal assembly elections, focusing on welfare expansion, women and minority outreach, and targeted social schemes as it seeks a fourth consecutive term.
Releasing the document titled ‘Banglar Jonno Didir 10 Protigya’, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee outlined ten promises ranging from expansion of welfare schemes and healthcare outreach to infrastructure development and economic growth.
At the centre of the manifesto lies a Rs 500 hike in the ‘Lakshmir Bhandar’ scheme, widely regarded as the ruling party’s most politically potent welfare programme, with the monthly assistance promised to rise to Rs 1,500 for women from the general category and Rs 1,700 for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe beneficiaries.
Women voters constitute nearly half of the state’s electorate and have increasingly turned out in larger numbers than men in recent elections, a trend political observers say has significantly strengthened the TMC’s electoral position since the scheme was introduced.
Underscoring the political importance of the constituency, Banerjee said empowering women remained central to her government’s agenda.
“I am determined to make the mothers and sisters of Bengal self-reliant,” she said.
Alongside the welfare push, the manifesto proposes annual healthcare outreach under a new ‘Duare Chikitsa’ initiative, under which health camps will be organised in every block and town to provide doorstep medical services.
To address youth unemployment, a recurring political issue in the state, the TMC promised continued financial support for jobless youth through the Banglar Yuva-Sathi scheme with a monthly assistance of Rs 1,500.
Farmers also feature prominently in the party’s electoral pitch, with Banerjee announcing a Rs 30,000-crore agriculture budget aimed at strengthening rural livelihoods, supporting landless cultivators and boosting productivity.
The manifesto promises pucca houses for all families, piped drinking water to every household and a major infrastructure upgrade of government schools under the Banglar Shikshayatana initiative.
Economically, the party has sought to project a growth narrative alongside welfare politics.
The manifesto says West Bengal’s economy has expanded nearly sixfold over the past 15 years and outlines a roadmap to transform the state into the gateway of trade for eastern India through world-class logistics, ports and a proposed global trade centre.
The document also promises revival of the jute sector through a Natural Fibres Revival Mission, a hike in the daily wages of tea garden workers from Rs 250 to Rs 300 and extension of tax exemptions for green tea leaves to strengthen the plantation economy.
Senior citizens are promised uninterrupted pension coverage with gradual expansion of beneficiaries, while the party has also pledged administrative restructuring through the creation of seven new districts and expansion of urban local bodies.
Beyond the governance promises, the manifesto reflects a carefully calibrated electoral strategy aimed at reinforcing the party’s core support base of women, minorities and marginalised communities.
Muslims constitute nearly 30 per cent of West Bengal’s electorate and are decisive in more than 110 assembly constituencies, particularly in districts such as Murshidabad, Malda, Uttar, and Dakshin Dinajpur and South 24 Parganas- regions where the TMC made substantial gains in the 2021 assembly elections.
The manifesto includes promises to protect and utilise Waqf properties for community welfare, expand job-oriented courses at Aliah University and introduce skill training in industrial institutes located in minority-dominated districts.
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, who together account for 84 reserved assembly seats, form another key battleground in the BJP-TMC contest.
The party has promised expanded scholarships, stronger coaching support through the Yogyashree programme and enhanced hostel facilities for SC and ST students, while reiterating efforts to secure Scheduled Tribe status for communities such as Mahatos and Kisan Jatis.
The outreach assumes significance in western districts such as Bankura, Purulia, Jhargram and parts of Paschim Medinipur, where the BJP had made deep electoral inroads in recent years.
Political observers say the manifesto underscores the TMC’s continued reliance on welfare-driven politics combined with targeted outreach to key voter blocs — a strategy that has helped the party defeat the BJP’s aggressive electoral challenge in successive polls.
However, the welfare expansion also comes amid concerns over the state’s finances, with West Bengal’s outstanding debt estimated at over Rs 8 lakh crore and social sector spending accounting for more than half of total expenditure.
For Banerjee, who led the TMC to a sweeping victory in the 2021 assembly elections that halted the BJP’s bid for power in the state, the manifesto represents both a governance blueprint and an electoral message.
“These commitments will ensure the momentum of development continues and the light of happiness reaches every household,” she said.
Elections to the 294-member West Bengal Assembly will be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with votes to be counted on May 4, setting the stage for another high-stakes contest between the ruling TMC and the BJP in one of the country’s most politically polarised states. PTI PNT SUS AMR BSM NSD PNT MNB
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