BJP experiences slow start in its membership drive, party focusing on 'quality not quantity'

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) membership drive has had a slow start. In over 25 days, the party has managed to make only 6 crore members, down from the 18 crore in 2018. Several Morchas and departments of the party have been asked to maintain a slew of norms, including details on the NaMo app and a form, a change from earlier years.

On Friday, in a meeting of Yuva Morcha leaders, general secretary Sunil Bansal and other senior leaders repeatedly said the focus should be on quality not quantity, and that they should focus on bringing in people below 35 years into the party’s fold.

Leaders of the Yuva Morcha said that they have been instructed to ensure that their presence in major universities and educational institutions are maintained. “Whether it is kiosks, workshops or meetings, the mandate is to ensure that everyone present is over 35 years of age. Over that, other departments come into play,” an attending leader said.

While the intake this term has been slow, each department has been given targets, like last term. This year the BJP has set out to make a minimum of 10 crore members, and states like Uttar Pradesh have been given targets of 2 crore each.

“In our state, Yuva Morcha has to make 20 lakh new members, OBC Morcha has to bring in 15 lakh members, and Minority Morcha has to make 5 lakh new members,” a senior official from the UP unit said. Till now, the official said, UP has made 1.5 crore members.

Last term, when the president of the party was Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the party had made 18 crore members, up from the 12 crore members it made in a drive in 2014. This time, the process is slow since the process has changed, said a general secretary of the party.

“This time, we have moved the process mostly online and a member has to join us on the NaMo app first, then fill a form, and finally, a card will be issued. This makes the process lengthier, but will ensure that we have dedicated members,” the leader said.

A member from the UP Minority Morcha said that members can also be made via missed calls. “But missed calls alone will not work, we have to explain to them the party’s ideology and teach them what it means to be a part of the BJP,” the leader said.

Till now, major states like Madhya Pradesh (1 crore) and Assam (51 lakh) have had success. Despite that, some state units like Gujarat have run into trouble — in one instance a patient was made a member and in another a student was.