From cash doles to LPG cylinders—why are women at centre of electoral politics whether in Tamil Nadu or Bengal?

From cash doles to LPG cylinders to one-time assistance, poll-bound Tamil Nadu and West Bengal are witnessing a plethora of welfare promises as parties turn manifestos into high-stakes pitches for voters, making the battle for ballots as much about benefits as governance.

For instance, in Tamil Nadu, the BJP manifesto on Tuesday prominently also proposed financial assistance of Rs 2,000 per month for women heads of households, a one-time payment of Rs 10,000 per household, and three free LPG cylinders annually. It has significant development and welfare measures, and also Hindutva-linked proposals such as declaring Thaipoosam a state festival to honour Lord Murugan but a key focus of the manifesto remains women voters.

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The strategy draws from electoral benefits seen in previous elections, notably Bihar, where a Rs 10,000 one-time assistance for women was seen as a key factor that brought women voters to the polling booths in large numbers and influenced outcomes. Higher female turnout was interpreted as support for the BJP-JD(U) alliance, with welfare outreach and cash transfers playing a key role in mobilising women voters, say observers.

In Tamil Nadu, the BJP is contesting in alliance with the AIADMK as part of the NDA against the DMK-led coalition. In West Bengal, where the BJP is contesting alone, it has made similar promises, including doubling cash benefits for women and unemployed youth offered by the TMC government.

The Mamata Banerjee government provides around Rs 1,500 under the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme to beneficiaries. While the BJP campaign also focuses on employment, industrial growth, welfare delivery, law and order, border security, central schemes, illegal immigration etc, observers, citing Bihar, say it is the cash incentive that has the real effect on the ground, especially among the not-so-affluent. .

Not just the BJP, other parties also realise the power of women supporters. The Trinamool Congress has emphasised continuation and expansion of its welfare programmes, including direct cash support schemes for women, subsidised food distribution and social welfare initiatives for vulnerable groups. Women-centric schemes remain a key electoral plank of the Mamata banerjee-led government alongside commitments to healthcare, education and rural development.

In Tamil Nadu, too, the ruling DMK’s proposals also include expanding its welfare model with continued financial assistance for women, free laptops for students, expansion of school breakfast schemes, enhanced pensions, housing initiatives, job creation, healthcare expansion, along with infrastructure development and support for farmers.

Reasons behind specifically concentrating on women voters are many. First and foremost, it means combining economic impact with political influence. Financial support to women is more likely to be spent on essentials such as food, education and healthcare, improving household welfare.

But this is another part, of late, women have emerged as a decisive voting bloc, with turnout rates often matching or exceeding men in several states. And direct cash transfers and subsidies are a visible factor that strengthens the link between benefits and the ruling party. While the measures are often framed as empowerment tools that increase women’s financial agency within households, a reason why analysts say targeted welfare measures—cash transfers, subsidised food, free LPG cylinders and student benefits—can have a larger electoral impact.