February 02 (TSP Bangla) – The lack of a special package for West Bengal in Sunday’s Union Budget has put the state BJP in a difficult position ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections. Opposition parties have questioned the allocations, prompting BJP leaders to step forward and argue that Bengal has not been neglected.
Publicly, party leaders maintained that the state received its due share. However, several BJP insiders, speaking on condition of anonymity, admitted that a special announcement for Bengal could have strengthened the party’s appeal among voters.
They pointed out that the Narendra Modi government had made notable budget announcements for Bihar ahead of last year’s Assembly elections there, a move widely seen as politically significant.
Stoutly defending the budget, Samik Bhattacharya, the Bengal BJP president, said: “Today’s budget is growth-oriented. It has addressed people from different sections of society. The budget has focused on sectors like jute, handloom and girls’ hostels, among others. Bengal has also received a lot, including the freight corridors and fresh funds for three Metro lines.”
When asked whether the Centre could have announced a special package for poll-bound West Bengal, similar to what it did for Bihar ahead of last year’s Assembly elections, Samik Bhattacharya rejected the comparison.
Bhattacharya, who is also a Rajya Sabha member, said Bihar’s circumstances were entirely different and defended the Union Budget allocations, maintaining that Bengal had not been overlooked.
“The Bihar issue is completely different. The state is surrounded by several states and shares a border with Nepal. So, the perspective behind providing grants to Bihar was different. It’s not that Bengal is getting nothing. Bengal has received a lot from today’s budget,” he said.
Ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, the Union Budget 2025–26 had given the state a significant push, allocating thousands of crores for Bihar-specific development projects. These included schemes to promote the makhana (foxnut) industry, support Madhubani sari artisans, and advance the Western Koshi Canal project. Leaders within the Bengal BJP acknowledged that targeted financial assistance for small-scale industries, farmers and artisans had helped the BJP-led NDA secure a sweeping victory in Bihar in 2025.
In the run-up to this year’s budget, several Bengal BJP leaders were hopeful that similar announcements would be made for the poll-bound state. Many believed such measures could aid voter outreach efforts in the months leading up to the Assembly elections.
On Sunday morning, party leaders gathered at the BJP’s Salt Lake office in Kolkata to watch the budget presentation, keenly awaiting details of allocations for Bengal.
While the state did receive three infrastructure projects — the Dankuni–Surat Freight Corridor, a high-speed rail corridor between Varanasi and Siliguri, and a link connecting Durgapur to the East Coast Industrial Corridor — there was no major, Bengal-specific announcement.
Ashok Lahiri, economist and BJP MLA from Balurghat, defended the allocations, saying the Union Budget must address the needs of all 28 states rather than focus heavily on one. He added that certain sector-specific measures, such as support for makhana, are justified when they relate to products predominantly grown in a particular state like Bihar.
“India has a federal structure and there are 28 states. If one state is given such funds, others will demand the same. Just as the judiciary must be blind while delivering justice, the Union budget also has to be somewhat bias-free,” said Lahiri.
“However, in the case of makhana, Bihar is its main producer in the country. It is a growing industry, so Bihar’s case is different. In Bengal, when Ayushman Bharat was first introduced, it was initially accepted. However, later ₹170 crore under the scheme was returned. It was like someone refusing to do the work and also not allowing others to do it,” he added in a jibe directed at chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
Political observers, however, argue that the sizeable special packages announced for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh in last year’s Union Budget were shaped as much by political necessity as by development priorities.
They point out that after the 2024 Lok Sabha election results, the Modi government depended on key allies such as the JD(U) in Bihar and the TDP in Andhra Pradesh to remain in power at the Centre. In that context, generous budgetary allocations to those states were widely seen as a response to coalition compulsions.
“It was not only Bihar; a special package was given to Andhra Pradesh as well. This was done to support ally parties out of compulsion. Currently, Narendra Modi does not face such compulsions after winning several states in a row. So, he did not provide any special package to any poll-bound state,” said political scientist Biswanath Chakraborty.
