The BJP is stepping up efforts to include people’s views while preparing its party manifesto ahead of the West Bengal assembly elections by launching suggestion boxes at 1,000 locations across the state. The initiative is meant for the common people to share their views on issues.
“We will evict the Trinamool Congress from power in 2026. Hence, the announcement of the Sankalpa Patra Paramarsha Yatra,” said BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya.
These drop boxes will be placed across West Bengal, where people can give various suggestions for the new government, the BJP said, including voters who are not in favour of the saffron party. Bhattacharya claimed that the TMC government has a party-centric mentality, while the Narendra Modi-led government believes in the welfare of the people and the growth of the country.
The BJP’s focus has been on highlighting the unemployment in the state, an issue that it frequently uses against the ruling TMC. With suggestions for the Sankalpa Patra, or manifesto, the BJP is looking to gain the trust of the people of Bengal and reach the grassroots, which is the TMC’s stronghold. The TMC has an advantage in rural Bengal with welfare schemes to empower low-income households, in turn consolidating the ruling party’s vote bank.
“We are not going for any trust game. We are going for a solution. We are coming into power; BJP is going to form the government. It should be a people’s government, not a BJP government,” said Bhattacharya.
The BJP also mentioned that if it comes into power, the TMC’s flagship Lakshmir Bhandar scheme, which was increased from Rs 500 to Rs 1,500 per woman in rural households in the recent budget tabled in the assembly on Thursday, will be raised to Rs 3,000.
“If the new government comes into power, we will make it Rs 3,000. There is no value to anything. West Bengal has become an old-age home as people are leaving Bengal. There is no budget for education or higher education,” said Bhattacharya, also stating that there was a brain drain from the state, with youth moving to other states for better job opportunities.
“What are you (the people) getting here, and why are you going to BJP-ruled states to work?” questioned the BJP state president.
Apart from the drop boxes across the state, which will be in place until February 18, there is also an email ID, QR code, and hotline number for people to share their suggestions for the manifesto. There will also be an awareness drive for the BJP’s people-inclusive initiative in the state on February 17 and 18 in Kolkata. The information will be compiled by the end of the month, before the manifesto is prepared.
This initiative is a litmus test for the saffron party, which has made considerable inroads in West Bengal, winning 77 of 294 seats in the 2021 assembly elections. It is also an experiment to assess whether people’s views are valid concerns that can be addressed by the BJP and how effectively those concerns can be addressed through a solution-oriented approach rather than mere promises.
Converting non-BJP supporters in Bengal in favour of the saffron party is the main test as the saffron party aims to not only gain more seats, but also end the 15-year reign of TMC. It is a tough challenge for the BJP to combat TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee’s formidable image as a fighter who will go to any lengths to protect her turf and her people. No matter how confident the BJP is, one needs to wait and watch to see if projecting an inclusive, people-friendly approach, irrespective of caste, creed, and religion, will be convincing enough to get the numbers in its favour at the ballot box.