New Delhi, April 2 : The BJP believes that with the support of women, who comprise almost half of West Bengal’s total electorate, it will be able to end the 10-year rule of Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress in the state, where the Assembly elections are presently underway.
Of the state’s 7.32 crore electorate, 49 per cent are women.The party believes that women’s support will help it form the government in the state for the first time, just as it had helped the saffron party in last year’s Bihar Assembly polls.
“Women voters will chug BJP to sweeping victory, just like Bihar.The dignity of life provided to women by the BJP government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has created a huge goodwill that is visible on the roads leading to the polling booths even in Nandigram, where Mamata Banerjee herself is the candidate,” tweeted B.L.Santosh, national General Secretary (Orgnaisation) of the BJP.
The saffron party strategists think that Banerjee’s ‘silent voters’ (women) have tilted towards the BJP camp due to the poor implementation of welfare schemes.
BJP national Secretary and West Bengal unit co-incharge Arvind Menon told IANS that the women in West Bengal are unhappy with the Mamata Banerjee-led government for not changing their lives even after 10 years of rule.
“The Modi government is committed to the cause of the poor and the farmers, and it respects women.Our commitment to women’s welfare has helped us in the first two phases of Assembly polls in West Bengal and the people will vote for us in the remaining six phases.
The women are supporting the BJP to bring ‘ashol poriborton’ (real change) in West Bengal,” Menon said.
Menon pointed out that the women are happy with Modi’s welfare schemes and are pointing out the corruption of the Trinamool cadres in the distribution of the Amphan cyclone relief and other government schemes.
Another senior BJP leader claimed that the party is receiving massive support from the women because of the Prime Minister’s women-centric welfare schemes like Ujjwala Yojana, which gave free gas cylinders, and financial help to build toilets in every home.
“Welfare schemes benefiting the women helped us gain their support in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, 2020 Bihar Assembly polls and now in the West Bengal Assembly polls,” he said.
To woo women voters, the BJP has also made several announcements in its manifesto focusing on them — 33 per cent reservation for women in government jobs, increased pension to widows, free transport, and free education from KG to PG level.
The presence of women in rallies and public meetings has also boosted the morale of the BJP.
A BJP leader in Bengal said that women outnumbering men in several election meetings of senior leaders shows which way the wind is blowing
.