BJP runs out of political ideas, follows Mamata’s footsteps to stay relevant

Kolkata: Instead of depending solely on Narendra Modi’s individual charisma, the BJP might have followed Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee’s footseeps and introduced or promised women centric schemes like “Lakshmir Bhandar” in Bengal.

The BJP during their poll campaigns in Jharkhand promised Rs 2,100 monthly payments to women, if elected. The BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP alliance launched “Ladki Bahin Yojana” in August this year ahead of the Assembly polls and provided Rs 1,500 per month to women with an annual family income of less than Rs 2.5 lakh. The alliance has secured a landslide victory in Maharashtra. The women-centric schemes might have proved a game-changer in Maharashtra.

After the BJP failed to get expected results in the Lok Sabha elections held earlier this year, the BJP focussed on the women centric developments in various states like Maharashtra, Jharkhand where the number of women voters increased.

Likewise, the incumbent government in Jharkhand had launched the ‘Maiya Samman scheme’ in August, offering Rs 1,000 monthly to women aged 21-50 years, potentially benefiting five million women statewide.

This scheme appeared to favour the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM). The biggest takeaway from poll results in Jharkhand and Maharashtra is that women’s income support schemes help accumulate voter base. The incumbent governments in both Jharkhand and Maharashtra had announced income support schemes targeting women, “Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana” in Maharashtra and the “Mukhyamantri Maiya Samman Yojana” of Jharkhand.

Political observers believe that Mamata Banerjee’s “Lakshmir Bhandar” scheme appeared to have won the hearts of women in the districts and hence the ruling Trinamool Congress has been reaping dividends in all the elections. ‘Lakshmir Bhandar’, the monthly cash assistance scheme for women in Bengal, was the “game changer” for Mamata Banerjee in the 2024 Parliamentary polls, many of the political observers believe. Presently, under the “Lakshmir Bhandar” scheme, Rs 1,000 is given each month to the general category beneficiaries and Rs 1,200 to SC/ST women.

Interestingly, two days ahead of by-elections result, BJP MP from Purulia, Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato wrote a letter to the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, demanding that the money for the state’s Lakshmir Bhandar scheme be doubled to a monthly Rs 2,000 per recipient.