Trinamool banks on welfare schemes, outreach drive for 4th term in Bengal

Kolkata: The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) is eyeing a fourth consecutive term in power in West Bengal, banking on an election strategy centred on social welfare schemes and targeted outreach.

Even as the party alleges attempts at communal polarisation by the BJP ahead of the Assembly polls, along with the “unplanned” implementation of SIR and mass deletion of voter rolls reshaping the electoral landscape, the TMC is set to double down on the Mamata Banerjee government’s welfare initiatives.

Targeted outreach programmes such as “Duare Chikitsa” (treatment at doorsteps), promised in the party’s manifesto, along with existing schemes like “Lakshmir Bhandar” and “Yuva Sathi”, are being projected as key electoral planks. The campaign frames the contest around welfare politics, identity mobilisation and the assertion of “Bengali asmita”, amid concerns flagged by the party over voter roll deletions under SIR and alleged harassment of migrant workers in other states.

The manifesto, unveiled by TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, places strong emphasis on social welfare, healthcare access, youth support and agriculture, with particular focus on “Lakshmir Bhandar” — a scheme seen as decisive in the party’s 2021 Assembly victory. Among the 10 “pratigyas” (pledges) announced is a

Rs 500 hike in financial assistance under the scheme, along with a promise to set up healthcare camps in every block across the state. Women voters, who constitute nearly half of the electorate, are widely regarded as central to the party’s electoral success.

Schemes such as “Kanyashree” and “Swasthya Sathi” have also helped strengthen the party’s connect with women, rural voters and economically weaker sections. While unveiling the manifesto, Banerjee said the pledges were aimed at ensuring that “the wheels of development” continue to move.

Under the proposed “Duare Chikitsa” initiative, healthcare services will be taken to people’s doorsteps through camps in every block and town. Addressing youth unemployment, the party has also promised to continue financial assistance for jobless youth under the “Banglar Yuva Sathi” scheme, with eligible beneficiaries receiving Rs 1,500 per month.