Cash politics, development paradox – The Hindu

HEOn January 3, 2026, a little-known Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader in West Bengal sparked a political controversy by asking husbands who benefited from the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme to “lock up their wives” to prevent them from voting for the Trinamool Congress during elections.

These words sparked outrage in the social and political circles of the state. Trinamool Congress said this exposed the “anti-women” mentality of the BJP. BJP State committee leader Kalipada Sengupta was asked to apologize for this statement. But the controversy has also drawn attention to Lakshmir Bhandar, one of the West Bengal government’s biggest cash incentive schemes.

The plan, announced by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in February 2021, just months before the Assembly elections, has proven to be electorally transformative. It reached 2.21 crore beneficiaries as of January 2025; This corresponds to almost half of the state’s female population. Women between the ages of 25 and 60 get INR 1,000 per month under the general category and INR 1,200 per month under the reserved categories.

choice advantage

His political influence was indisputable. The scheme has helped a majority of women voters remain firmly aligned with the Trinamool Congress despite serious incidents of violence against women, including the rape and murder of a doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in August 2025.

Data from the 2021 Assembly elections showed that nearly 50% of women voters supported the Trinamool, while only 37% voted for the BJP. The BJP leadership is acutely aware of this gender disparity and how cash incentive programs help entrench it.

Comparison with Bihar

In December 2025, when Ms. Banerjee announced a report card titled ‘Unnayaner Panchali’ (Song of Development) on her government’s performance in the last 14 years, Lakshmir Bhandar came to the fore. Comparing this with the one-time cash aid of ₹ 10,000 announced before the elections in Bihar, the Trinamool chief argued that his government is providing continuous annual support instead of pre-poll notifications.

“They (NDA in Bihar) gave ₹ 10,000 crore before the elections and now there is a bulldozer raj after the elections,” Ms. Banerjee said.

Cash-based welfare programs catering to different social groups have become a defining feature of the Banerjee administration. By its own count, the State currently operates 95 welfare schemes and the number of schemes is set to rise well above the triple-digit figure, with more promised ahead of the election being announced in the next few months.

Even political opponents have tacitly acknowledged the impact of such plans on voters. Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently assured voters in Kolkata that none of the Trinamool government’s welfare schemes will be stopped if the BJP comes to power.

While these cash incentive programs may provide a political advantage to the ruling party, it is also important to understand their overall economic and social impact on the population. According to the Multidimensional Poverty Index: A Progress Review 2023, West Bengal’s multidimensional poverty rate stood at 11.89%. Although poverty declined faster than in Gujarat, the State ranked only 13th nationally, behind populous States like UP and Bihar.

real change

Cash transfers can help households stay just above the poverty line, but they often fail to create lasting structural change.

The state’s own Kanyashree scheme, designed to reduce child marriage through conditional cash transfers, illustrates this limitation. The scheme has around one crore beneficiaries on paper, but West Bengal continues to record the highest number of child marriages almost a decade after the scheme was launched.

The latest Sample Registration System data shows that 6.3% of women in the state were married before age 18; This rate is 2.1% on the national average.

There is no doubt that cash incentive schemes gave Ms Banerjee a definite electoral advantage. But while putting money directly into the hands of voters shapes political outcomes, it doesn’t automatically translate into lasting social transformation. Over the past few years, West Bengal has emerged as a case study of this development paradox.