campaign against illegal infiltration, alleged misrule of ruling TMC and promise of NRC implementation in West Bengal have helped BJP reach staggering figure of 77 lakh plus in its recent membership drive in state, party sources said. According to BJP leers, majority of its new members are in group of 25-40, which reflects party's growing acceptance among youth. districts where drive met with remarkable success include Jalpaiguri, Coochbehar, rth Dinajpur, South Dinajpur and Alipurduar in rth Bengal. y also said that success was marked at districts near India- Banglesh border, besides Malda, Nia, rth and South 24 Parganas. membership drive has also evoked exceptional response in Jangalmahal districts of West Midnapore, Purulia, Jhargram and Bankura, saffron party leers claimed.

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"It is t that we have performed well only in bordering districts. We have also received positive response from places like like Jhargram and Midnapore," BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said. In border areas, an overwhelming number of people have joined BJP as y were fed up with TMC's misrule. He also ded that people were fed up of TMC's corruption, unemployment, and lack of initiatives to check infiltration."Our promise of implementation of National Register of Citizens (NRC), if BJP is voted to power, and campaigns against illegal infiltration and TMC's misrule have paid off in state," senior party leer told PTI. issues of illegal infiltration and implementation of NRC, in line with neighbouring Assam, were major poll planks of party in West Bengal in Lok Sabha elections.

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BJP's membership drive

country-wide membership drive was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah on July 6. It was on  occasion of party ideologue Syama Pras Mookerjee's birth anniversary that BJP launched campaign. It ended on August 20. Bengal BJP surpassed 60-lakh target set by central leership. Following stupendous response, BJP's central leership has decided that drive would continue till December in West Bengal, one of priority states for party, a senior leer said. During last such drive in 2014, saffron party h enrolled just 42,000 members.

BJP's performance in West Bengal in General elections

BJP, in general election this year, bagged 18 of 42 seats in state, four less than ruling TMC. TMC's tally came down from 34 in 2014 to 22 seats. saffron party bagged all Lok Sabha constituencies in Coochbehar, rth and South Dinajpur, Bankura, Purulia, Alipurduar and Jhargram districts. "But what needs to be seen is how much this campaign against illegal infiltration from Banglesh has paid off in rth and South 24 Parganas, where party failed to secure any seat, apart from Nia and Malda districts, where it won one seat each," BJP leer said. "We have tritionally been on a sticky wicket in se districts due to high mirity population. But response to membership drive reflects changing attitude of people re towards us," he claimed.

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Mirity appeasement in bordering districts has left majority population disgruntled, saffron party leer ded. TMC leership, however, feels that "communal politics" has helped BJP gain ground in Bengal. " BJP, after parliamentary polls, is using communal card to divide masses along religious lines and gain ground. We have to defeat this sinister design. communal politics of BJP will be discarded by people of Bengal," TMC secretary-general Partha Chatterjee told PTI. In last few years, saffron party has me deep inros in Bengal and emerged as main challenger to ruling TMC by pushing Congress and Left Front to distant third and fourth positions respectively. Its leers are w asserting that ir next target was to unseat Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in 2021 Assembly elections. 

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