With fewer than seven days remaining before the first phase of polling in West Bengal, not only are political party leaders working hard to capture voters’ attention, but welfare schemes offering cash incentives to women in the State are also playing a significant role.

As the West Bengal election campaign reaches its peak, a contest between the Lakshmir Bhandar of the Trinamool Congress and the Matri Shakti Vandan Yojana of the Bharatiya Janata Party has gained momentum on the sidelines. The Lakshmir Bhandar has been a time-tested model for the Trinamool and its announcement helped the party outperform a resurgent BJP in the 2021 Assembly election. Its implementation was also credited with the party’s 2024 Lok Sabha election win. The number of beneficiaries of the scheme, which provides ₹1,500 per month for women in the General categories and ₹1,700 for women from Scheduled categories, has reached 2.42 crore.

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The BJP in its manifesto has offered to double the cash incentive to ₹3,000 a month under the Matri Shakti Vandan Yojana. In an attempt to assure the electorate that the party will deliver on its promise, BJP leaders have started filling up forms of women who are eligible for benefits under the scheme. The Trinamool has opposed the filling of forms and in areas such as Sonarpur in South 24 Parganas district, clashes had erupted between Trinamool and BJP supporters.

On Thursday, the Trinamool filed complaints with the State’s Chief Electoral Officer against multiple BJP leaders, including candidates Arjun Singh and Rajesh Mahato, for distributing the Matri Shakti Vandan forms. The complaint to the CEO has accused BJP leaders of violating the model code of conduct that came into force after the elections were declared.

“On 15.04.2026, leaders/members of BJP from 94-Bagda (SC) Assembly Constituency were seen distributing registration forms of a scheme named and styled as “Matrishakti Bhorsa Card”. The scheme promises financial assistance of ₹3,000/- per month, to women. In the process of registration, BJP is collecting voter information which will give them undue advantage and skew the level playing field for other political parties,” the Trinamool said in its complaint.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who held an election meeting at Mathabhanga in Cooch Behar urged the electorate not to believe in the promises of the BJP. “Do not give them your bank account numbers and other details. Instead of giving money, they will run away with whatever is left in your account,” Ms. Banerjee told the crowd.

The Trinamool chairperson said she had announced the scheme ahead of the 2021 election promising only ₹500 for every woman. Ms. Banerjee slammed Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for distributing the forms of the BJP cash incentive scheme for women. “The Union Finance Minister is shameless. She is distributing cards now. Why can’t they take lessons from us? We execute our promises before the election. Lakshmir Bhandar started in 2021,” Ms. Banerjee said.

The Chief Minister also highlighted the National Democratic Alliance’s victory in the Bihar Assembly election late last year, when ₹10,000 was deposited in accounts of women under an entrepreneur support scheme ahead of the polls.

“In Bihar, money was given to women by the BJP before the election. It was said that the money was given to assist them in doing business. But after the election, they came back riding on their bulldozers. Now they are asking for the money back. In Delhi, did they give ₹2,500 to women?” she said.

West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya said there was nothing wrong in distribution of forms and the Trinamool itself had indulged in the practice in the past.

“We were never against Lakshmir Bhandar, we said that if the State government has to offer money to women it should offer with a bigger heart. We are promising ₹3,000 to every woman which will be credited in the first week of every month,” Mr. Bhattacharya said.

As the war of words rages between the Trinamool and the BJP over whether the Lakshmir Bhandar or the Matri Shakti Vandan is superior, it remains to be seen how the more than three crore women voters of the State exercise their franchise when they hit polling booths.