In a move that drew immediate political fire, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced a ₹500 hike in the monthly honorarium for Hindu priests and mosque muezzins on Sunday, March 15 — just hours before the Election Commission was scheduled to announce the state's assembly election dates at 4 PM. Once the election schedule was announced, the Model Code of Conduct came into force across the state, barring the government from making any new welfare announcements. The timing of the hike, made in the narrow window before the code kicked in, has brought sharp criticism from political opponents who called it a last-minute attempt to buy votes across two religious communities simultaneously.
What Mamata Announced
Taking to X on Sunday morning, Mamata Banerjee announced that the monthly honorarium paid to purohits — Hindu priests performing religious and community rituals — and muezzins — those who give the call to prayer at mosques — would be increased by ₹500 each. With this revision, both categories of religious workers will now receive ₹2,000 per month from the state government.
"I am pleased to announce an increase of ₹500 in the monthly honorariums extended to our purohits and muezzins, whose service sustains the spiritual and social life of our communities," Mamata wrote, framing the hike as recognition of religious workers' contribution to society.
A Pattern of Pre-Election Announcements
Sunday's honorarium hike is the latest in a string of welfare announcements the Trinamool Congress government has made in the weeks leading up to the election date declaration. In the state's interim budget presented in February 2026, the government announced a ₹500 hike in the monthly entitlement under the flagship Lakshmir Bhandar scheme — the direct cash transfer programme for women — taking the total to ₹1,500 per month for 2.42 crore beneficiaries, with an additional ₹15,000 crore allocated for the scheme.
The same budget introduced the Banglar Yuva Sathi scheme — a new monthly allowance of ₹1,500 for unemployed youth between 21 and 40 years who have passed the secondary examination, to be launched on August 15. Monthly honorariums for Anganwadi workers, ASHA workers, civic volunteers, and village police personnel were also hiked by ₹1,000 each, effective April 2026. One-time compensation of ₹5 lakh was announced for Anganwadi workers who die before the age of 60.
BJP Hits Back: 'Every Rupee Is Vote Bank Politics'
The BJP has been relentless in framing each of these announcements as calculated electoral bribes rather than genuine governance. Bengal BJP leaders pointed out that Sunday's timing — posting the announcement on social media hours before the election code activated — was a deliberate attempt to squeeze in a final wave of voter outreach before the regulatory shutters came down.
The party also reignited the long-running controversy over the purohit-muezzin honorarium disparity. The honorarium scheme for imams and muezzins was introduced by the Mamata government in 2012 — eight years before a corresponding scheme for Hindu priests was created in 2020. Critics have repeatedly pointed out that the number of imam and muezzin beneficiaries has historically far outnumbered Hindu priest beneficiaries, and that the rates paid to the two groups have not been equal. The BJP has used this disparity consistently to accuse the TMC of minority appeasement at the expense of equal treatment for all communities.
Model Code Now in Force — What Changes
With the Election Commission's formal announcement of the West Bengal election schedule on Sunday evening, the Model Code of Conduct came into immediate effect across the state. The Mamata government is now barred from announcing new schemes, making major transfers or appointments of government officials, or using state resources for campaign activities. All government advertisements highlighting welfare schemes are restricted. Any future welfare announcement or policy change will require prior Election Commission approval.
West Bengal has 294 assembly seats up for election. The Trinamool Congress is seeking a fourth consecutive term — a feat no political party or front has previously achieved in the state's modern history. The BJP, which has emerged as TMC's primary challenger in the 2021 and 2024 elections, is contesting the 2026 polls with the explicit aim of forming a government for the first time in Bengal's history.
.jpg)
.jpg)
