BJD seeks to increase number of members to 1 cr in two months

Biju Janata Dal president Naveen Patnaik on Monday launched a drive to increase the number of its members from 47 lakh to one crore in two months.

On the auspicious day of Ganesh Chaturthi, Patnaik became the first primary member of the party and signed 24 others as so.

"My best wishes to all on the occasion of Ganesh Puja. I inaugurate the membership drive of our party," Patnaik said while addressing BJD activists at the programme held at the party headquarters here.

During the membership drive to be concluded on October 31, the party workers and leaders will meet farmers, youths, women and others and seek their blessings, he said adding that Odisha's 4.5 crore people are members of the BJD family.

Party vice-president and convener of the membership drive programme, Debiprasad Mishra, said the BJD presently has 47 lakh primary members and efforts are on to increase it to one crore by October end.

The party has also decided to collect Aadhaar number of each new member of the party, he said.

Each active member will have the responsibility to take at least 24 persons into the party, Mishra said.

A seven-member state-level committee has been constituted to monitor and coordinate the membership drive.

Odisha's main opposition BJP has also launched a drive to increase its members to 50 lakh from the current 36 lakh.