New Delhi: In an attempt to achieve its target to enrol 10 lakh new members in five weeks, Delhi BJP has asked each of its “panch parmeshwars” (booth level workers) to enrol a minimum of 50 new members in their respective polling booths. The party has also planned mass enrolment campaign by roping its Lok Sabha members and celebrity leaders at railway and Metro stations, bus stands, and other places frequented by people.
Ahead of the 2017 municipal polls, the Delhi BJP had appointed five panch parmeshwar in each of the 13,816 polling booths in the national capital. About 58,000 panch parmeshwars had held gathering of tehsil booth level workers at Ramlila Maidan in 2017.
The Delhi BJP membership drive co-convenor Harsh Malhotra told this newspaper that each panch parmeshwar will enrol at least 50 new members at their respective polling booths.
“At each polling booth, 250 new members will be enrolled by the panch parmeshwars and in 35 days these 58,000 panch parmeshwars will help the party to achieve the target,” Mr Malhotra added.
Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari said that the membership drive in Delhi will be different from other states, where the aim is to add 20 per cent new members to the existing numbers. “The membership campaign will be general in nature in which we will work to make around 14 lakh new members, which is more than 20 per cent target set for other states,” he added.
Mr Malhotra said that special membership drive will be held at railway and Metro stations, market places, and bus stands, where celebrity leaders like Lok Sabha members of East Delhi Gautam Gambhir; Punjabi Sufi singer and Northwest Delhi MP Hans Raj Hans; and Mr Tiwari, who is also a Bhojpuri singer, will join the workers. Other MPs from the city will also join such special membership drive.
While revising the target, Delhi BJP general secretary (organisation) Siddarthan, on Wednesday, asked party leaders to enrol 14 lakh new members. In the same meeting, BJP national general secretary (organisation) Ramlal told workers to double the membership count.
Contradictory to Delhi BJP’s claims of having 30 lakh members, it is learnt that the party has 14.5 lakh members in the national capital. A senior party office bearer said that during previous membership drive, Delhi BJP had received about 24 lakh missed call for new membership. However, after verification of all the members, the number stood at 14.5 lakh. Explaining the reason for a fall of 9.5 lakh in the member count, he explained that people from NCR were also included in the initial list of Delhi unit. Later, after verification, their names were deleted.
“Some people also gave multiple missed calls from different numbers,” he added.
AAP has become a laughing stock: Nadda
Ahead of the Assembly elections, BJP working president JP Nadda, on Saturday, claimed that the ruling AAP has become “a laughing stock” and exuded confidence that his party will form government in Delhi as the city needs a leadership with “serious vision” for it.
Addressing the party’s Delhi unit leaders on the second day of the state working committee’s meeting, he asked them to work together for the Delhi elections due early next year.
In reference to the 2015 Assembly elections, where the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had won 67 out of 70 seats, Mr Nadda claimed that the people of Delhi have now started realising what the leaders have actually done.
“They (AAP) have become a laughing stock. Delhi, being the national capital, needs a leadership which has a serious vision for the city,” he said.
Mr Nadda claimed that people are not happy with the Arvind Kejriwal-led government in Delhi and exuded confidence that BJP will win the Delhi Assembly elections.
