New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday (April 10) vowed to enforce a “detect, delete, deport” policy to seal borders and stop infiltration in West Bengal if the party is voted to power in the upcoming state assembly elections. These elections are taking place in the midst of a contentious Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls.The saffron party also vowed to provide financial assistance to unemployed youth on the lines of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government’s Yuva Sathi scheme, as well as financial assistance to women already covered by the Mamata Banerjee government under the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme. It has also promised to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in West Bengal within six months of forming the government – and release a white paper on the TMC’s corruption.Union home minister Amit Shah released the BJP’s poll promises, titled “Bhorshar Shopoth” (Vow of trust) and said his party’s goal is to build a “fear free” Bengal and “reconstruct” the state with trust. The promises include 15 promises, but places at the top national security and ending illegal immigration, which the party terms “infiltration”.“First and foremost, our government will follow a zero-tolerance policy against infiltration. The people of Bengal up to Kolkata are scared that if infiltration continues, Bengal’s existence will be at stake. I want to assure the people that if a BJP government with a full majority is formed, we will implement a ‘detect, delete, and deport’ policy to pick out each and every infiltrator and ensure the safety of the state and the country,” said Shah.Shah did not explain why infiltration had not stopped although he has been the Union Home Minister, responsible for ensuring border security, since 2019. Shah’s promises come in the midst of a contentious SIR in the state in which about 90 lakh voters were deleted from the electoral rolls. Around 27 lakh of these voters are still pending adjudication, and will not be able to vote in the upcoming elections.The SIR placed over 60 lakh voters under adjudication, of whom roughly 32.68 lakh were found eligible, while 27.16 lakh were declared ineligible. Set against the pre-revision numbers, the total electorate has been slashed by 11.61%. The Wire has reported that the highest volume of deletions in the judicial review of the under-adjudication voters occurred in Murshidabad, the district with the highest Muslim population in the state.Shah has also promised to implement the UCC in the state within six months, if the saffron party is voted to power. He also linked “infiltration” with cow smuggling to say that Bengal’s borders would be sealed not only to prevent infiltration but to ensure cow smugglers cannot enter.“Several BJP-ruled states have implemented the UCC. Within six months, we will implement UCC in Bengal and bring the same law for all citizens. Bengal’s borders have become a source of infiltration and cow smuggling. We will seal Bengal’s borders not just for infiltrators but also against cow smugglers,” he said.The party has also promised to bring out a white paper “exposing 15 years of TMC corruption” and breakdown of law and order, curtailing “cut money” culture in the state, and implementing the 7th pay commission for government employees.In addition, it has promised to create one crore new jobs over five years and provide financial assistance of Rs 3,000 to unemployed youth, and another Rs 3,000 financial assistance to women.Just before the election, the TMC government rolled out the Yuva Sathi scheme which provides financial assistance of Rs 1,500 to unemployed youth. In 2021, the TMC government had rolled out the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme to provide financial assistance to women. In its 2026 manifesto, the TMC promises to increase the amount given under the scheme by Rs 500, with those from the general category set to receive Rs 1,500 and Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste women to get Rs 1,700.In addition, the BJP promises to improve women’s safety in the state, provide 33% reservation for women in state jobs and implement central schemes in the state, including Ayushman Bharat Yojana. At present, West Bengal has its own health insurance scheme called Swastha Saathi.The BJP has promised to build an AIIMS, IIT and IIM in North Bengal and rejuvenate Bengal’s tea gardens. These would be in addition to a law ensuring “freedom of religious practice” and a new Vande Mataram museum.Shah said the BJP’s poll manifesto sought to give “renewed hope and confidence” and a path to overcome “deep despair” in the state.“Today, the Bharatiya Janata Party has just released its manifesto for the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. This manifesto provides a path to overcome the deep despair prevailing across all sections of Bengal. It offers new direction for farmers facing uncertainty due to crop losses, for unemployed youth and for women living in fear. It also gives renewed hope and confidence to every citizen concerned about Bengal’s culture and its pride,” he said.