Welfare plank, generational churn, SIR factor shape TMC’s fourth-term bid in Bengal

KOLKATA: (Mar 18) Confronting anti-incumbency after 15 years in power while attempting a calibrated generational shift within its ranks, the TMC heads into the West Bengal assembly polls banking on its welfare-driven social coalition, strong grassroots organisation and Mamata Banerjee’s leadership, even as communal polarisation and the SIR of voter rolls reshape the electoral landscape.

The stakes are unusually high for the party, which has governed the state since 2011 and now faces an assertive BJP challenge, turning the election into a battle over welfare politics, unemployment and identity mobilisation.

At the heart of the TMC's campaign remains its welfare-driven governance model, which has helped the party build a vast beneficiary base. Programmes such as 'Lakshmir Bhandar', 'Kanyashree' and 'Swasthya Sathi' have significantly strengthened the party's connection with women, rural voters and economically weaker sections.