TMC to roll out women empowerment-focused campaigns ahead of polls

Kolkata: The women wing of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) is set to start a series of campaigns one after another with “Basanta Aj Bonge, Mahilader Songe” to be kicked off on March 3 on the occasion of Dol Purnima and “Lokhho Ghore Lakshmira” on International Womens’ Day on March 8, both stressing further on women empowerment. Under “Basanta Aj Bonge, Mahilader Songe”, women TMC leaders will highlight the schemes the government has been implementing for women. All the social schemes that changed the socio-economic conditions of women will be demonstrated. On March 8, on the occasion of International Women’ Day, the party’s Mahila Morcha will launch the “Lokhho Ghore Lakshmira” campaign which will be a major campaign ahead of upcoming assembly polls. The women leaders of the party will illustrate how the Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee carried out a great deal of work for the empowerment of women across Bengal. Dol Purnima and Holi celebrations will become a major platform when the party leaders will reach the doorsteps and exchange greetings. According to party sources, blood donation camps will also be organised across the state in memory of those who died allegedly due to the “hasty” and “unplanned” implementation of SIR.

According to political observers, this as a strategic move as women had voted for the Trinamool Congress in higher proportions in the 2021 assembly polls. The ruling party in its internal survey has also found that the number of women voters who had voted for Trinamool in the past was 3 per cent higher than men voters who had cast their votes in their favour. In the case of BJP, the women voters were proportionately lesser compared to men. In 2021 assembly elections, Trinamool Congress had secured 48 per cent votes which later dropped by 2 per cent during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. As many as 85.6 per cent of women surveyed as part of a pan Bengal study earlier felt that the cash incentive from Bengal government’s Lakshmir Bhandar scheme had empowered them. The Mamata Banerjee government announced a hike of Rs 500 in Lakshmir Bhandar on February 5 when the state tabled its vote-on-account in the assembly. With the announcement of this hike, the women from the general category are now getting Rs 1500 per month, while women from the scheduled tribes and scheduled caste categories are receiving Rs 1700 a month.