The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal has fielded 55 women candidates for the upcoming assembly elections, scheduled to be held in two phases on April 23 and 29. This is 22 more women candidates than its arch rival in the state, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The Central government on Thursday plans to introduce two bills in Parliament to increase Lok Sabha and state assemblies seats through nationwide delimitation and implementation of 33% reservation for women in the next few years.
The Center proposed increasing the number of seats in the House of Representatives from 543 to 850 by reviewing Article 81 of the Constitution. This comes within the framework of efforts made to ensure a 33% reservation for women in Parliament starting in the 2029 elections.
While the BJP fielded 33 women candidates, the Congress nominated 39 women, and the Left parties gave ticket to 28 women.
If the bill gets Parliament’s approval, 97 seats in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly will be reserved for women.
Of the 48 Muslim candidates presented by the TMC this year, five are women. There are no Muslim candidates in the BJP’s list even though the community constitutes 27.01% of the state’s population, according to 2011 census data.
TMC has also fielded more Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates than other parties.
Although 68 and 16 seats in the state assembly are reserved for SCs and SCs respectively, the TMC fielded 78 SC candidates and 17 SC candidates. Other parties adhered to the numbers set by the quota system. In fact, the Congress fielded 16 ST candidates.
In the 2021 state elections, the TMC’s main campaign slogan was – “Bengali Niger Miki Chai” (Bengal Wants Its Daughter) – Focused on Prime Minister Mamata Banerjee and her plans for social welfare and financial assistance for women, who constitute a large segment of TMC voters in both rural and urban areas.
TMC’s focus on women voters remains sharp this year. In the February State Budget, the monthly cash assistance to general category housewives under the Lakshmir Bhandar Scheme has been increased from $1000 LBP $Increased by 1500 and same for SCs and STs from $1200 L $1700. Also, under a new scheme for unemployed people between the ages of 21 and 40, the state will grant $1,500 per month until they get jobs or for a maximum period of five years.
“Our leader Mamata Banerjee is trying to help people from all sections of society despite the Center suspending the state’s share of funds for major welfare schemes like NREGA,” TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said.
In 2021, TMC fielded 50 female candidates and 33 of them won. Eight of these winners are ministers in the current government.
Of the 38 women fielded by the BJP in 2021, only seven managed to win.
The Left Front and Congress contested as allies in 2021 but were unable to win any seat in 2021. They had around 70 women participating.
In the 2021 elections, 240 women competed (about 11% of the total number of candidates). The Election Commission had not published the corresponding figure for 2026 as of Wednesday.
The BJP has also shifted its focus to women voters in West Bengal this year.
The statement issued by Union Home Minister Amit Shah last week said that women will get this $3,000 every month as assistance and free rides on state buses if the BJP comes to power.
“And also financial assistance $21,000 and six food supplies will be distributed to pregnant women from financially marginalized families. We will empower 7.5 million women under the Centre’s Lakhpati Didi scheme. “Two women battalions, named Matangini Hazra and Rani Shiromani, will join the state Reserve Police Force,” Shah said while releasing the document in Kolkata.
