HYDERABAD: Buoyed by its success in the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP now sees a solid chance of coming to power in Telangana.
So much so that while Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the BJP’s membership campaign in his constituency, Varanasi, party president and arguably the second-most powerful man in the country, Amit Shah, chose to visit Telangana on Saturday to do the same, and also to make a point — that the BJP is coming.
“Where do you want to see a BJP government first? Telangana, Kerala or West Bengal?” he asked. “Telangana,” thundered a score of BJP workers who came down from all over the State.
Amit Shah, who launched the mega membership drive in the State, said, "In the future, it is confirmed that the BJP will form the next government here in Telangana. The victory in the Lok Sabha elections is very valuable to us[...] the way the party turned its fate around from the results in the Assembly polls, under the leadership of PM Modi, is confirmation that the party will excel in the future in the State."
On how many cadre the party was hoping to add in the membership drive, Shah said the target was at least 18 lakh. In the previous membership drive, the national party aimed to enrol 20 lakh members and witnessed the enrolment of 18 lakh. The present enrolment drive will go on till August.
“I just asked (BJP general secretary) Muralidhar Rao how many members they are thinking of as a target. He said that they have aimed for 12 lakh and that they are being a little frugal in their thinking. However, 12 lakh won’t do! You have to get 18-20 lakh members. If you think you cannot do it, give me a call. I will go to every district to get members,” he said.
Shah also said that his party was aiming to increase its vote share from 19 per cent (in the Lok Sabha elections) to 50 per cent in the next Assembly polls.