What Does History Show?

With the Bharatiya Janata Party winning West Bengal in the recent 2026 Assembly elections, a “double engine” government has now been formed in the state. The promises made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the election campaign have now turned into responsibilities that must be fulfilled. But in the current economic condition of India, is it really possible to implement them? What has been the experience of BJP-ruled “double engine” states since 2014? Let us examine this with facts, statistics, and examples.

Promises made by Modi on behalf of the BJP in Bengal:

• Rs 3,000 monthly assistance for women (Rs 36,000 annually).
• 33 percent reservation for women in government jobs.
• Implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission within 45 days.
• 1 crore jobs within 5 years.
• Uniform Civil Code within 6 months.
• Employment guarantee, Rs 15,000 support for youth preparing for examinations, grants for farmers, and more.

Estimated financial burden of implementing these promises:

The total population of Bengal is around 10 crore. The number of women is around 4.8-5 crore. If every woman is given Rs 3,000 per month, it would require around Rs 1.8-2 lakh crore annually. This alone would amount to around 10-12 percent of Bengal’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is estimated at around Rs 15-18 lakh crore.

Implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission would increase salaries of state employees by around 20-30 percent, creating an additional burden of Rs 20,000-30,000 crore.

Creating 1 crore jobs would require massive investments and skill development spending amounting to several more lakh crores. Altogether, these promises would place enormous pressure on the state budget.

India’s central economic condition:

In 2026-27, India’s fiscal deficit stands at 4.3 percent of GDP, while the debt-to-GDP ratio is around 55.6 percent. GDP growth is between 6.8-7.2 percent. The central government is already under pressure due to subsidies and welfare expenditure. Providing additional grants to states will be difficult. If such populist promises are implemented, public debt may rise further, leading to inflation and economic instability. Even under the slogan of a “double engine government,” it remains doubtful how much support the Centre can actually provide.

Promises in double engine states since 2014: Promise versus reality

Since 2014, the BJP has governed several “double engine” states such as Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra. However, many promises made by the BJP still remain unfulfilled. For example:

Employment:

In 2014, the BJP promised “2 crore jobs every year.” But unemployment across the country still remains high. Youth unemployment in Uttar Pradesh continues to be severe. Job creation in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat has also not reached expected levels. According to available statistics, employment growth in BJP-ruled states has remained either equal to or lower than the national average.

Promises to farmers and welfare programmes:

The BJP promised guaranteed Minimum Support Price (MSP) and solutions to farmers’ problems. Yet farmer protests continued for years. Even in Uttar Pradesh, despite having a double engine government, the agrarian crisis did not significantly reduce. Under the Swachh Bharat programme, toilets were constructed, but issues related to maintenance and actual usage still remain unresolved.

Economic growth and development:

Despite long-term BJP rule in Gujarat, new investments and employment opportunities have still not reached expected levels. In Madhya Pradesh, the BJP manifesto reportedly contained more than 600 promises, but allegations suggest that only around 10 percent have been fulfilled so far. Similar criticisms also emerged in Karnataka.

Other examples:

Major national promises made in 2014, such as recovering black money, strengthening the rupee, and eliminating corruption, largely failed. Though there has been some progress in employment, education, and healthcare in certain states, the much-publicised “development model” has not been implemented to the expected extent. Even in double engine states, there is no clear evidence of exceptional economic growth or employment generation. Some studies also show that certain southern states without double engine governments have performed comparatively better.

Failures of the BJP:

The BJP often wins elections through highly popular promises, but later struggles with implementation due to financial burdens and practical difficulties. This puts pressure on state economies. Bengal too must avoid repeating the same pattern. But now the central government itself is facing excessive debt burdens and difficulties in paying even interest obligations. It is reportedly taking new loans from several national and international institutions merely to manage existing debts. Under such economic conditions, it does not appear realistically possible for the central government to fulfil all these promises.

History appears to be repeating itself. In fact, the BJP had long criticised welfare schemes introduced by opposition parties as “freebies.” But now, with the sole objective of winning elections in every state, the BJP too seems to be following the same path by making one attractive promise after another to gather votes.

Finally…

Under the present Indian economic conditions, with high fiscal deficits and mounting debt burdens, fully implementing the Bengal promises appears nearly impossible. Looking at the history and experiences of double engine governments, it seems that for the BJP, winning elections has often taken priority over fulfilling promises.

If voters blindly place hopes on election promises, that too becomes the mistake—or perhaps the innocence—of the voters themselves. Voting without examining how far the BJP has fulfilled promises in existing double engine states would also be a mistake by voters. West Bengal people historically have a reputation for being politically aware and intelligent. If even they get carried away by attractive verbal promises, then what can one say about the rest of the country’s voters?

The new Chief Minister and his government must now understand the country’s economic realities and discuss them with the Centre to address the financial challenges involved in fulfilling these promises. They must work for the welfare of the people and try to meet public expectations. For real development, stable policies and transparent implementation are more important than populist promises. Only time will tell how the people of Bengal will remember these promises.