41 lakh people have joined BJP after new membership drive: JP Nadda

Jaipur, Nov 7: Six days after the BJP started a digital national membership drive, party's general secretary JP Nadda, while addressing party workers here ahead of civic polls in Rajasthan, claimed that the toll free number for membership was receiving 10,000 calls per second.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah had launched the campaign on November 1.

"41 lakh people have registered their membership online, and about 10,000 calls per second were being received on the system," Nadda said.

"As a preliminary record in the last two hours (during his presence in Jaipur), the membership registration figure rose from 30,000 to 50,000," Nadda, who is recently made Rajasthan BJP in charge, said.

Online membership campaign for "renewal of membership" would be a big campaign in 2014-15 as a successful experiment in which more and more people will link actively with the party, he said. Recalling landslide victory in Lok Sabha and Assembly polls including Rajasthan, Nadda said over 17 crore people have voted and extended their overwhelming support for BJP's victory, and "Now BJP has to fulfil their aspirations and needs in every sector".

BJP will take this online membership campaign in a regular way to universities, colleges, sabji mandi, malls, corporate sector, industrial sector, village and chaupal levels early next year, he said.

Party's every state headquarters and even every district office would be informed about the enrolment of memberships in their region, Nadda said. Hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's governance, Nadda said the changes in all spheres were taking place very fast, and success was also being achieved on every front.

Praising Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje's all-round success in the state Assembly polls by winning 163 seats out of 200 and all 25 Lok Sabha seats, Nadda said, Raje has brought the state's economy back on rail track and Opposition Congress' misrule was over now.

Party would work with the state government with better coordination to change the state's image better and perfect, he said.

Calling upon workers, Nadda said that they should work hard to win all 46 civic bodies polls slated for November 22 so that three tier system of democracy beginning from local bodies polls to Assembly and then to Parliament be made stronger and there would not be any leakage of funds for public works.

Launching the membership toll-free campaign and renewing her membership with the party by making a call, Chief Minister Raje called upon workers to make a sole mission to win all 46 civic bodies in polls slated later this month.

"We had mission in Assembly polls where the party got 163 seats out of 200, then in mission-25, the party won all 25 seats... now it should be a mission of 46 civic bodies victory," Raje claimed. Blaming the previous Congress government to bring the state to "bimaru rajya" (sick state) in the last five years 2008-2013, Raje said Rajasthan would soon stand on its feet with glory and proud among the other developed states as she had taken major decisions and programmes of all-round development in last ten months.

Power companies ensured to provide electricity to farmers six hours and thirty minutes to seven hours daily during Rabi crop season, she said, adding the damaged transformers would be replaced in next 72 hours in villages and farm areas. Infrastructure development works like new 20,000 kms highway roads, 'gaurav path' in thousands of villages, and repair works were taken on war footing for the next five years, she said.

Many skill development programmes were undertaken in partnership with private companies to provide jobs to 15 lakh youths in her tenure (five years), she said. Ambitious Bhamashah Yojna was being linked with PM's Jan Dhan Yojna to provide cash package on medical, pension, food grains to deserving BPL and other communities in their banks directly, she said.

"We will take Rajasthan to front runner states with prosperity and all-round development in my tenure," she said. She announced that through new online membership programme, Rajasthan would provide and contribute at least 50 lakh party members in a target manner to the party high command.

State BJP president Ashok Parnami who also renewed his membership online assured that the ticket to deserving candidates in coming up civic bodies' poll would be announced shortly in a couple of days, and those who did not get ticket should also work for the party and official candidate with same spirit.

In charge of civic bodies polls and Home Minister G C Kataria also appealed workers to ensure party's victory in the polls.

PTI