Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday said that the party aims to increase its existing 1.07 crore membership in Maharashtra by at least 50%.
“While the party has touched a new high in Lok Sabha, we believe we are yet to reach the peak. That will be achieved only when we will have our governments in States where we haven’t yet won. For Maharashtra, where we are in power at present, our target is to increase our tally. Our target here is to win 226 seats,” said Mr. Chouhan, who leads the party’s membership drive, at a press conference in Mumbai.
Mr. Chouhan said the party will be targeting States where elections are to be held later this year. “We, along with Shiv Sena, won more than 50% votes in the Lok Sabha polls. This membership drive will target areas where we lacked and could not win satisfactory votes. There are 95,472 booths in the State and the target is to enrol at least 50 new members at each booth,” he said. He added that initially the party had aimed at 20% growth in the membership but the enthusiasm of workers shows that it will go up by 50%.
The BJP’s membership drive will begin on July 6, the birth anniversary of Dr. Shyamaprasad Mukherjee, will continue till August 11. The party will be doing both online and offline membership. “The person who will give us missed call to become the member will be verified physically by our workers. The membership drive will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and every CM or president will lead the campaign in the State,” he said.
Asked whether the party will desert loyalists for new entrants, Mr. Chouhan said that the party will not drop loyalists, but will ensure the joining of new. “ Sarvasparshi BJP (Inclusive BJP), Sarvavyapi BJP (Encompassing BJP), is our motto. We will be targeting weak booths, communities which are not with us,” he said.
Taunting Congress president Rahul Gandhi over his decision to quit from party’s top position, Mr. Chouhan said while BJP is continuously expanding its base despite winning, the loser which should have worked harder is running away from the responsibility. “Normally, a captain of a sinking ship remains till the end. But it seems, the Congress president has given up on his responsibility. Instead of fighting with vigour, he is running away,” he said.
Attacking the Kamal Nath-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh, Mr. Chouhan said his party will not bring down the government but it will fall on its own. “The MP secretariat has become the centre of touts. When I lost in Assembly, I asked people the reason. They said they came under the illusion of ₹2 lakh promised. Lok Sabha results have proved that,” he said.
