On January 3, 2026, BJP leader Kalipada Sengupta from West Bengal stirred controversy by advising husbands to "lock up their wives" who receive benefits from the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme. He said this was to prevent them from voting for the rival Trinamool Congress (TMC) in elections. The remark caused public outrage and the BJP leader was forced to apologize. Lakshmir Bhandar, launched by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in February 2021, is one of West Bengal's biggest cash incentive schemes. By January 2025, it aided 2.21 crore women, nearly half the state's female population. Women aged 25 to 60 get ₹1,000 monthly under the general category, and ₹1,200 for reserved categories. The scheme has helped TMC maintain strong support among women despite serious crimes against women, like the August 2025 rape and murder of a doctor in Kolkata. In the 2021 Assembly elections, around 50% of women voters backed TMC, while only 37% voted BJP. Mamata Banerjee highlighted the scheme while releasing a report card on her government's 14-year performance in December 2025. She compared it with Bihar's one-time ₹10,000 election handout, saying her government delivers steady yearly support instead. "They (NDA in Bihar) gave ₹10,000 before the election, and there is a bulldozer raj now after the polls," she said. West Bengal now runs 95 welfare schemes, with more expected before upcoming elections. Even BJP's Union Home Minister Amit Shah acknowledged their impact, assuring voters that these welfare programs won't stop if BJP wins. However, cash transfers have limits. While they help people stay just above poverty, lasting social change is rare. For example, the Kanyashree scheme aimed at reducing child marriage still hasn’t lowered West Bengal's child marriage rates, which remain higher than the national average. In sum, these cash schemes give TMC a crucial electoral advantage. But putting money into voters’ hands does not always result in deep social progress. West Bengal’s experience highlights this ongoing development challenge.