BJP expects membership figures to reflect in upcoming polls

The BJP on Wednesday said that crossing the nine crore mark in its membership drive will reflect in the upcoming assembly polls.

Party spokesperson M.J. Akbar described it as a massive achievement and said several checks and balances have been maintained in adding the members.

"We will see the result of this in the coming state elections and the overall functioning of the party as well," Akbar told IANS here.

"This is an extraordinary achievement in a democratic set up. People don't realise how many checks and balances were in place for this drive," he said.

"We are expanding BJP family on every part of the country. Large figures have emerged from states where they said BJP is not strong."

BJP has extended its ambitious membership drive till April 30.

Party president Amit Shah tweeted that the party has crossed the nine crore mark. He said one crore new members were added in last eight days.

Party's national vice president Dinesh Sharma said in a letter to state units that the deadline has been increased to April 30.

Sharma named states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Tripura, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, Maharashtra, and Haryana and said in many states due to elections and by-elections workers did not get sufficient time.

He said despite BJP becoming world's largest political party before March 31, the original deadline, "seeing the enthusiasm of workers and supporters" the drive has been extended with the permission of the BJP president.

BJP now claims to being the political party with largest membership in the world, leaving behind Communist Party of China that has over 8.6 crore members.