OPINION | From Lakshmi Bhandar To Unemployment Doles: Mamata’s High-Stakes Bid To Lock Women & Woo Angry Youth

Mamata's blueprint of doles is a masterstroke in voter retention, leveraging women's loyalty and youth aspirations.

Source : ANI

In the run-up to West Bengal's assembly elections, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's interim budget for 2026-27, pegged at Rs 4.06 lakh crore, stands out as a calculated electoral maneuver. Central to this is the enhancement of the Lakshmi Bhandar scheme, a flagship welfare program providing monthly financial aid to women, now increased by Rs 500 per beneficiary. This elevates the stipend for general category women from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 and for Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe women from Rs