The BJP on Wednesday published a manifesto exclusively for the by-election to the Madarihat Assembly constituency of Alipurduar district, making a slew of promises to voters there who will exercise their franchise on November 13.

The seat turned vacant as Manoj Tigga, the two-time MLA of the BJP, resigned after being elected as the Alipurduar MP. The party has fielded Rahul Lohar from the seat.

On November 13, Bengal would see bypolls to six Assembly seats, Madarihat being the only one that the BJP had won in the 2021 state polls.

“That is why, it seems the party is focusing on retaining the seat. It is clearly unusual for a political party to come up with an election manifesto for a by-poll, and that too for voters of one seat,” said a political observer.

On Wednesday, a group of senior BJP leaders, including MPs Raju Bista and Tigga, published the manifesto at the election office in Madarihat, an Assembly segment dotted with around 24 tea estates.

“We will construct the road overbridge at the railway level crossing in Birpara. It will help decongest traffic in Birpara town of Madarihat,” said Bista, also a BJP national spokesperson.

A road overbridge at the level crossing near the local railway station (Dalgaon) is a longstanding demand of Birpara residents. Every day, thousands face problems crossing the area as level crossing gates are frequently closed to allow trains along the Dooars route.

In the manifesto, the BJP also promised fair tea wages and bonuses, implementation of labour codes in the tea industry and scholarships for children of the brew belt.

“We will also work to provide land rights and houses for tea workers and forest villagers,” said Bista.

Such mentions in the manifesto have made Trinamool leaders scoff at the BJP. "The BJP-led central government has not done anything for the tea workers and their families since 2014 when Narendra Modi came to power at the Centre," a TMC leader said.

“Instead, Bengal's Trinamool government has done many things for tea workers, from providing land rights to free houses to regularly hiking tea wages. BJP leaders are again making empty promises to draw votes. They know they will not be able to retain Madarihat,” Mridul Goswami, a senior TMC leader of Alipurduar district, added.

In Madarihat, Jay Prakash Toppo of the TMC is the principal contender pitted against BJP's Lohar.

Other issues that the BJP has referred to in the manifesto include a new Hindi-medium high school for girls and better medical facilities at the state general hospital in Birpara.

“Most voters in Madarihat voted for the BJP last two times (Assembly polls), but at the Lok Sabha polls this year, the party's lead margin reduced in this Assembly segment from the 2021 Assembly elections. The state government has also introduced many welfare schemes in tea estates. This bypoll will be interesting here,” said the observer.