Kolkata: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has taken a slew of steps to woo the Hindu voters and dent the BJP’s support base in the state. Analysts say the Trinamool Congress chief is aware that she needs to break the nearly 30 per cent mainly Hindu vote share which has gravitated towards the BJP in recent years primarily from the Left Front and the Congress to win the ongoing assembly elections.

“Today, in the cabinet meeting we have decided to pay them a monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 and also provide housing for them under Bangla Awas Yojana. I don’t have the exact numbers of Sanatan Brahmin priests but so far we have received names of 8,000 and all of them will get their monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 from this year’s Durga Puja and they will be eligible for housing.”