The state unit of Bharatiya Janata Party has created a record by enrolling 10 millions new members in the party thus prompting the leadership to increase the target to 15 millions by March 31. “The party has received overwhelming response in Uttar Pradesh. People have voluntarily become member of the party. Enthused by the response a third special camp would be set up from February 8 where members would be enrolled at the booth level,” BJP spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak said here on Friday.

He said that this third special camp would be of four days and would be in operation across the state.   The next phase of the membership drive would target the left out areas, including villages, urban localities and other places. There were requests from different localities to organize booth level camps there. In this campaign those localities would be targeted, he said.

Earlier, two special membership drives were organized in November and December last year and these were of three days each. In these drives the workers were asked to stay put in villages and enroll the people. They were also asked to enroll active members who will work in that area. Pathak said the third drive would achieve the target of 1.5 crore member to make 100 primary members in each of the 1.29 lakh polling booths of the state.

“The last day of the special drive on February 11, which is also the death anniversary of Deen Dayal Upadhaya, would focus on the rural areas,” he said. However, BJP president Amit Shah would be in the state capital on February 2 to review the progress of the membership drive and is also expected to have a pep talks with state leaders. All senior leaders have been asked to attend this meeting. “He is expected to give guidelines to the workers and pin point their mistakes. This meeting is expected to set the tone and tenor of the third special camp,” Pathak said.