Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], April 16 : The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has filed a complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI) against BJP leaders Suvendu Adhikari and Smriti Irani over the launch and distribution of the "Matri Shakti Bharosha Card" in West Bengal, alleging violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).
In its letter to the poll body, the TMC MP Derek O'Brien, on behalf of the ruling party, alleged that the BJP leaders, along with party workers, announced the scheme on April 15, promising Rs 3,000 monthly financial assistance to women, and began distributing forms to beneficiaries across the state.
Explaining its concern, the party said that women are being encouraged to fill out forms with the promise of receiving money, which it believes is being used as bribes to influence voters during the election period. The TMC alleged that the scale and timing of the exercise indicate a planned effort to gain electoral advantage by targeting economically vulnerable women.
"Under the garb of such announcement, women beneficiaries are being induced to fill and submit the aforesaid forms, pursuant to which monetary consideration is disbursed, either through direct bank transfers or in cash. The nature, timing and manner of such disbursement clearly indicate that it is not an isolated or charitable exercise, but a calculated and coordinated activity undertaken in proximity to the electoral period, with the manifest intent of influencing voters in favour of a particular political party," the letter stated.
The letter further read, "The operation appears to be organised and widespread, involving multiple individuals acting in concert, thereby evidencing a deliberate and premeditated strategy. The targeted beneficiaries, primarily women from economically vulnerable sections, are particularly susceptible to such inducements, underscoring an unlawful attempt to secure electoral advantage through material gratification and undue influence. Such conduct strikes at the very foundation of free and fair elections by compromising the independence of the voter's choice and vitiating the level playing field among contesting parties."
The party further alleged that the scheme amounts to "corrupt practice" under Section 123 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and attracts penal provisions under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.
TMC has urged the ECI to issue show-cause notices to Adhikari, Irani and other BJP leaders, take stringent action for MCC violations, and direct the party to immediately discontinue the scheme.
The controversy stems from the BJP's launch of the symbolic "Matri Shakti Bharosha Card" on the occasion of Poila Baisakh on Wednesday, promising Rs 3,000 monthly aid to women if voted to power. The initiative was positioned as a counter to the TMC government's Lakshmir Bhandar scheme.
Polling in West Bengal will be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29, with the results of the Assembly elections scheduled to be announced on May 4.
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