Odisha BJP to enrol 10 lakh members for party polls
BHUBANESWAR: With BJP initiating the process for holding organisational elections, the State unit of the party has been gearing up to launch a fresh membership drive from June 6.
The saffron party, which claimed to have enrolled around 36 lakh members in the State during 2015 drive, will have to add 20 per cent new members to become eligible for holding elections.
“As per the party constitution, we have to enrol 7.2 lakh new members which is 20 per cent of members registered last time to be eligible for holding organisational election for the State unit. We have targeted to add 10 lakh new members before the election,” said BJP’s State president Basant Panda.
Once enrolled in the BJP, the membership will be valid for six years. The membership of 36 lakh people who were enrolled in 2015 will be renewed after 2021.
Panda, currently in New Delhi, was among three members from the State including party’s general secretary, organisation, Manas Mohanty and state in-charge Arun Singh who attended the Thursday meeting convened by national BJP president Amit Shah for discussing organisational polls which have been overdue.
The party will launch a massive campaign from booth to State level to induct new members which will continue till August 15.
This will be followed by enlisting active members from August 16-31, Panda said.
The main thrust of the three-month special membership drive, called Sangathan Parv, will be to spread its footprints in areas where the BJP does not have a strong political presence, he added.
The three-year term of Panda, who was elected as president of party’s State unit on January 14, 2016, ended earlier this year.
The national BJP president, who was also elected around the same time, was asked to continue in the position as the oganisational election was put on hold by the BJP parliamentary board to focus on the 2019 general elections.
Election of the national president of the BJP will be possible only if more than 50 per cent states become eligible for holding elections.
The national election committee of the BJP will meet within a couple of days to finalise the schedule for holding elections to the State units, Panda said.
After membership drive, election process will start from booth level.
After formation of booth committees, elections will be held for mandal committees followed by district committees.
The party has 36 organisational districts. Panda said the State will be eligible for holding election only after formation of more than 50 per cent district committees.
Membership plan
36 lakh members during 2015 drive
7.2 lakh more needed to be eligible for holding organisational polls
10 lake state target before the election
2021 renewal of old members
36 organisational districts of the party