BJP likely to unveil poll manifesto in early April, Focus on jobs, industry & welfare
The Statesman | 1 April 2026
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to release its manifesto for the Assembly election in the first week of April, with party sources indicating 4 or 6 April as the probable dates.
Senior leader Nitin Nabin is expected to be present at the launch event. The development comes days after the ruling Trinamul Congress (TMC) announced its “ten pledges” campaign, highlighting flagship welfare schemes such as Lakshmir Bhandar, Duare Chikitsa, and the Yuva Sathi programme. According to BJP sources, the party’s “Sankalp Patra” will lay emphasis on issues ranging from illegal infiltration and border security to industrial growth and employment generation. The manifesto is also expected to propose enhanced financial assistance for women under a scheme tentatively named “Annapurna Bhandar,” promising Rs 3,000 per month, double the recently increased Rs 1,500 assistance under the state’s Lakshmir Bhandar scheme. Employment is set to be a key focus area. The BJP is likely to promise a monthly allowance of Rs 3,000 for the unemployed, along with filling all government vacancies within six to eight months of assuming power.
Party insiders also indicated that recruitment examinations such as SSC would be conducted regularly, with a relaxation of five years in the upper age limit for job applicants. In a bid to address long-standing demands of government employees, the manifesto may include implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission within 45 days of coming to power.
Industrial development is likely to feature prominently, with commitments to establish new industrial hubs, including in Singur, albeit with farmers’ consent for land acquisition. The party is also expected to promise an end to the alleged “syndicate raj” and the development of new urban centres. On infrastructure, the BJP may pledge to complete fencing along the India-Bangladesh border within 45 days of forming the government, and to improve connectivity by linking the hills to the coastal regions.