Gurugram: Even though the extended deadline for the completion of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s membership drive in Haryana has long passed, party leaders in the state are struggling to meet their target of enrolling 50 lakh members.
The party has so far managed to enrol a little over 39 lakh ordinary members in Haryana, which is less than 80 percent of the target. The situation is similar in case of active members, where the BJP had set a target of 50,000. Only 28,000 have been enrolled so far.
Party sources told ThePrint that the target was set in light of the more than 55 lakh votes that the BJP had received during the assembly polls held earlier this year.
According to Election Commission of India (ECI) data, the BJP had received 39.94 percent of the total number of votes polled in the Haryana assembly elections.
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According to the final voter turnout data released by the ECI on 7 October, 67.9 percent of a total of 2,03,54,350 eligible voters cast their votes in the election. Of the 1,38,20,603 voters who cast their votes, 39.94 percent (55,19,949) voted for the BJP.
The BJP launched its membership drive on 8 November, with an initial deadline of 5 December. However, the party fell significantly short of the target as the deadline drew nearer. It was then extended to 10 December. Despite the extension, the target remained unmet. The party has not provided any further extensions for the drive.
What is more concerning for the party is the fact that in more than 20 assembly constituencies, not even 50 percent of the targets has been achieved, prompting senior leaders to take notice.
In an effort to meet the target, state BJP president Mohan Lal Badoli personally travelled across the state, but achieving the enrolment target still appears challenging.
ThePrint reached Badoli for a comment via phone. This report will be updated if and when a response is received.
However, Sanjay Sharma, the state spokesperson for the party, downplayed concerns about failing to achieve the targets.
“Targets are always set high so that party leaders work harder to achieve them. Forty lakh members is not a small achievement. We will proceed with the organisational elections using these members, but the process of enrolling new members will continue,” Sharma told ThePrint. “As far as active members are concerned, a person becomes an active member after enrolling 50 new members. Therefore, the number of active members will naturally increase as more members are enrolled.”
The spokesperson mentioned that the party conducts membership drives every six years. “The last membership drive was in 2018, when Amit Shah was the party president. At the time, the party enrolled 32 lakh members in Haryana. By that standard, enrolling 40 lakh members this time is not a bad achievement. As I said, the party will continue enrolling new members,” he added.
A senior BJP leader cited specific reasons for the party’s struggle to achieve its target. Speaking to ThePrint on the condition of anonymity, the leader said that the completely online membership process posed a challenge for some, especially elderly individuals who are not tech-savvy.
“In 2018, those intending to become members could simply give a missed call. Party leaders would then collect their basic data and assist them in completing other formalities, including filling out forms manually. This time, even filling out the form online has been left entirely to the person wishing to become a member,” explained the leader.
Another challenge, according to the senior leader, was in constituencies where BJP candidates lost in the assembly polls.
“The success of membership drives depends heavily on the enthusiasm of the people. In constituencies where BJP candidates won elections, the voters are enthusiastic. Those where BJP MLAs have been inducted as ministers are even more enthusiastic, with people rushing to become members. However, in constituencies where party candidates lost, there is a lack of interest. In such cases, even former ministers are struggling to achieve their targets,” said the BJP leader.
The leader further noted that during the last membership drive in 2018, the BJP enrolled seven crore new members nationwide, becoming the largest political party in the world. “Now, the party has already enrolled 12 crore new members across the country.”
(Edited by Radifah Kabir)
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