NEW DELHI: More than 26 lakh people from minority communities, including a significant number of Muslims, have joined the BJP during its nationwide membership drive. Nearly six lakh memberships from minority communities have been enrolled offline, contributing to the party’s total of over 10 crore members.
Senior BJP leaders believe that the membership drive indicates a shift in perceptions among minority communities towards the party. The drive, which is conducted every six years, was initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 2 across the country, excluding the four poll-bound states of Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Haryana, and Jammu & Kashmir. The second phase began on October 25.
The BJP’s Minority Morcha, previously known for creating thousands of ‘Modi-Mitras’ from Muslim and other communities, led this year’s drive. Jamal Siddiqui, the national president of the BJP Minority Morcha, reported that 26,82,092 people from minority communities became members during this drive, with nearly 90% being Muslims, followed by Christians and others.
Siddiqui highlighted the state-wise numbers, mentioning that 6,12,916 memberships were registered online from Uttar Pradesh, 3,55,388 from Assam, 3,12,900 from Madhya Pradesh, 2,61,000 from Uttarakhand, and 2,30,780 from Gujarat. Other states with substantial numbers of Muslim members include Bihar (1,82,850), Rajasthan (1,87,018), Kerala (93,731), Karnataka (93,000), Delhi (82,800), Tripura (70,673), and Chhattisgarh (64,428).
“We conducted the membership drive in minority-dominated areas using both online and offline methods in 26 states to reach our target,” Siddiqui explained. He added that over the years, the BJP has managed to gain the trust of Muslims and other communities through its focus on development. These new members now have the right to participate in party office-bearer elections. He also noted that a significant number of scholars of Islamic studies, retired teachers, religious preachers, and others have joined as primary members.
