New Delhi: The BJP will start its membership drive from next month, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi being the first party member to renew his membership on September 2.
General secretary Vinod Tawde on Tuesday said that the party has set a target of 10 crore new members this time. The exercise is the precursor to the party’s presidential election process.
During the membership process, PM Modi will get his membership certificate from party president JP Nadda.
In a press briefing, Tawde said that as per the party’s Constitution, all existing members need to renew their membership whenever a new drive is carried out. “The party’s Constitution says that a membership drive must be carried out in every five to six years. But due to Covid, we could not carry one out,” he said.
The last membership drive by the BJP was carried out in 2018 when the party said that it had 18 crore members, and that it was the world’s biggest party. The drive will be carried out from September 2 to November 10 and it will not be carried out in poll-bound states like J&K, Haryana and Jharkhand.
Those willing to become members of the party can do so through the party’s website or through a missed call to a particular number, said Tawde.
The membership campaign will be followed by internal polls in the local, mandal, district, regional and state levels, after which a meeting of the national office-bearers will be held again. This will be followed by a meeting of the national executive.
Senior party sources said that this is when the president will be elected. As per the party constitution, councils of atleast 50 per cent states will have to be elected first for the president’s election to commence.
These internal polls will go on till November or December.
The membership campaign, known as the 'sadasyata abhiyaan', entails its workers to go out and ask prospective members to join the party. Any person willing to join must pay a membership fee of Rs 200.