GUWAHATI, June 17 - The ruling BJP is getting ready to start the process for organisational elections in Assam along with the rest of the country and the party will launch a State-wide membership drive in the run-up to the process for reconstitution of the organisation.
Sources in the State BJP said that the membership drive will be formally launched on July 6 and will continue for over a month.
�Our party chief Amit Shah recently issued a directive to all the state units to target to increase the party�s membership by at least 20 per cent. There are around 28 lakh members of the BJP in Assam at present. In line with our party president�s directive, our State unit will also try to increase that number by another 20 per cent,� a senior BJP office-bearer told The Assam Tribune.
He added that a committee has been formed to undertake the membership drive. It will be headed by State BJP vice president Vijay Gupta.
�While our party continues to admit new members at all times, such major drives are usually undertaken in the run-up to the organisational polls. The exercise will be more crucial this time as the party is now getting ready for the 2021 Assembly elections in Assam,� the leader said.
The saffron party won nine seats in Assam during the recent Lok Sabha elections. Following the success during the parliamentary polls, it announced �Mission 100�, setting a target to secure at least 100 seats in the 2021 Assembly elections in alliance with its junior partners in the State.
After completion of the membership drive the State BJP will go ahead with the process of organisational elections.
�The party�s organisation will be reconstituted, beginning from the booth level. This will continue at the mandal, district and State levels. A new national committee is expected to take over by December,� the BJP leader said.
He added, �Our focus is now on ensuring that the momentum which we achieved in the Lok Sabha polls is sustained over the next two years. Elections to the Guwahati Municipal Corporation and various other urban local bodies are due to take place within the next few months. Besides, there will be by-elections to four Legislative Assembly constituencies soon. And then the stage will be set for the 2021 Assembly polls. The membership drive and the organisational elections will present us with an opportunity not only to further consolidate our party internally but also to get close to the electorate of Assam.�
