Bhubaneswar: With an aim to increase its number of members from the existing 47 lakh and further strengthen its base at the grassroots level, ruling BJD today prepared a roadmap for its membership drive scheduled to be launched tomorrow. The initiative will continue till October 31.
Odisha Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik approved the plan for the membership drive during an extended executive body meeting held today. As per the strategy, 4 party workers from each ward, 5 from each NAC, 15 from each municipality will take part as active members for enrolling members in the party. Similarly, each Municipal Corporation will have at least 40 active members.
According to party sources, each active party worker will have the responsibility to include at least 24 other members into the party fold. During the drive, the Aadhaar of all the newly included members will be linked so that they can easily avail benefits from government schemes. Every 15 days, CM Naveen will review the execution of the initiative.
Addressing BJD leaders and workers during the executive meeting today, CM Naveen called upon them to lay utmost emphasis on the implementation of 5Ts and act as agents of transformation to bring satisfaction and cheer in the lives of people. Patnaik urged party members to follow in the footsteps of Mahatma Gandhi by sacrificing for the welfare of the people which he said will be a befitting tribute to the Father of the Nation on his 150th birth anniversary.
“I want people to see integrity in our approach and action. Due to relentless effort of lakhs of workers, our party continues to achieve many feats, so I thank members of the party and their family members for their dedication,” said Patnaik.
The Chief Minister further expressed gratitude to people of Odisha for voting his party to fifth consecutive term.
On the other hand, Congress MLA Suresh Routray took a jibe at the ruling party’s membership drive and said, "BJD is trying to woo voters in the name of Aadhaar linking.”
The Congress MLA informed that his party will launch its own membership drive from September 6 with an aim to enroll around 60 lakh members.
BJP Vice President Samir Mohanty too slammed the BJD and said, "BJD's aim of transformation through membership drive is nothing but day dreaming."