Bengal Budget signals poll-yr outreach

The Mamata Banerjee-led TMC govt continues to focus on women-centric and welfare schemes, ahead of crucial elections. Ishita Ayan Dutt explains why experts are hardly surprised

- Ishita Ayan Dutt

At a media briefing after the vote-on-account Budget was presented in the Assembly on February 6 (Friday), Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee highlighted a telling statistic that shaped her government’s priorities.

West Bengal, she said, had expanded its social welfare programmes from about 94 schemes to a “century”, with five to six new initiatives added in the latest Budget. “I am very happy,” she said.

The statement distilled the Budget’s core message: Welfare — long the cornerstone of Banerjee’s political appeal — remains firmly at the centre of both her politics and governance strategy, even more so with elections around the corner.

‘The showstopper

Introduced in 2021, Lakshmir Bhandar — often dismissed by sections of the urban electorate — has grown into one of the government's flagship schemes.

As Minister of State for Finance, Chandrima Bhattacharya, said while presenting the vote-on-account, the scheme, which is the chief minister's brainchild, is immensely popular among women. About 22.1 million women aged 25 to 60 years have benefited from it, and more than 2 million new applications have been received.

To strengthen the hands of about 24.2 million women of the state, the scheme will carry an additional amount of ₹500 per month from February, Bhattacharya said.

In a deluge of welfare schemes the Lakshmir Bhandar corners the largest chunk in spend, cumulatively exceeding ₹74,000 crore. An additional annual allocation of ₹15,000 crore has been proposed for 2026-27.