Agartala, Sep 3 (IANS): The ruling BJP in Tripura on Tuesday launched the membership campaign 'Sadasyata Abhiyan 2024' with the senior leaders declaring the party's goal to increase the number of party members to 12 lakh from the existing 6.5 lakh.

Tripura unit BJP president Rajib Bhattacharjee said that in the last membership campaign in 2019, the party membership increased to 6.5 lakh and at that time, incumbent Chief Minister Manik Saha was the state in-charge of the membership drive.

He said that to achieve the target of 12 lakh members, the party has initiated training programmes for its top leaders, who would further train and create awareness at the grassroots level to ensure the success of the membership drive.

Bhattacharjee said: "Our party functionaries would visit all the areas under the 3,330 polling booths to get new members. We would not only make new members, but also inculcate the party ideology among the new members and the people."

He said that the membership drive would be undertaken in two phases. The first phase would end on September 25 and the second phase would start in October.

Both online and offline mode would be available to enroll as a member of the BJP, he added.

Bhattacharjee said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially launched the nationwide membership drive on Monday.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, who is the former state BJP president, became the first member of the party at the 'Sadasyata Abhiyan 2024' event, held at the state party headquarters.

Saha had later said in a post on the X: "Join BJP's family! With the beginning of the Membership drive today in Tripura. I joined the initial membership at the BJP Tripura State Office. I appeal to everyone to become a member now!"

Aiming to get the highest number of BJP members in Tripura, the ruling party organised a workshop in Agartala last week ahead of the membership drive.

BJP national General Secretary Dushyant Gautam, and other senior leaders from across the state attended the workshop.