By Neeraj Kumar
Patna: These days, the Bihar BJP is grappling with significant challenges in its membership campaign. The party has set an ambitious target of enrolling one crore members, but achieving this goal has proven to be a daunting task. By the deadline, only 50 per cent of the target has been reached. However, certain leaders and districts have demonstrated stronger performance, with Patna Mahanagar leading the way.
The membership campaign was launched in the first week of September, with the goal of enrolling one crore members by 15 October. As of now, more than 38 lakh members have been registered online, with an additional 15 lakh members signed up offline.
Patna Mahanagar has performed particularly well in the membership drive, having registered over 1.4 lakh members. East Champaran is close behind, with more than 1.34 lakh members, followed by West Champaran, where around 1.25 lakh members have been enrolled.
On an individual level, Madhuban MLA and former minister Rana Randhir Singh has led the campaign with more than 50,000 new members. Urban Development Minister and Bankipur MLA Nitin Nabin follows in second place, having registered approximately 45,000 members. Raxaul MLA Pramod Singh comes third, with over 40,000 members enrolled from the Raxaul constituency.
Sources indicate that the BJP’s central leadership is considering extending the deadline if the membership target is not met by 15 October. An additional 15 days may be granted to allow for further progress, as the original deadline has proven difficult to meet.
Former Legislative Councillor Radha Mohan Sharma, who is overseeing the membership campaign, has expressed confidence that the one crore member target will be achieved by 30 October. Additionally, the party aims to enrol two lakh active members, each of whom must contribute Rs 100 and will be eligible to hold official party positions.
A special membership drive is scheduled for 16, 17, and 18 October. During this period, senior leaders, MLAs, ministers, MPs, and officials will be dispatched to various districts to conduct membership campaigns at both booth and mandal levels.
