Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Oct 18: Even as the BJP is claimed to have hit new milestones in its membership drive in different states, the party has been riddled by controversies of showing bogus members to artificially jack up its members’ strength for recognition as the biggest political party in the world.
The latest to join the controversy is Madhya Pradesh where the party on Friday claimed a milestone achievement in its membership campaign having crossed the 1.5-crore member mark. According to the party, it now boasts 1,50,28,107 members, with an average of 232 members at every booth across the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also praised the party’s membership drive, which places Madhya Pradesh second only to Uttar Pradesh in terms of the number of party members.
The Congress has, however, alleged data manipulation and cast doubt on the authenticity of the numbers. Congress leaders said their own senior members received messages telling them they have been enrolled as BJP members, despite never opting into the campaign.
Congress leaders including former ministers Lakhan Ghanghoria and Vinay Saxena have reportedly received these messages. Mr Ghanghoria, a Congress MLA, expressed disbelief at the enrollment of prominent Congress members in BJP’s records, calling the campaign’s claims an act of deception.
Mr Saxena, a former MLA, said he received a message welcoming him to the BJP, which, according to him, indicates that his details had already been entered into the party’s database. He called these actions fraudulent and accused the BJP of inflating its membership numbers with baseless entries. “This is not the first time the BJP has made hollow claims,” Mr Saxena said, adding the truth will eventually come out.
Mr Ghanghoria echoed Mr Saxena’s concerns, questioning how BJP can continue to defend such practices when their own party MLA, Ajay Vishnoi, also raised issues regarding the membership drive. Mr Vishnoi publicly claimed he received a call from an agency offering to boost BJP’s membership figures in exchange for money. This comment led to widespread discussion about the credibility of the campaign.
Mr Vishnoi took to social media, saying he respected genuine BJP workers but expressed frustration over commercialisation of the membership campaign. He suggested that some elements may be attempting to harm the party by artificially inflating membership numbers. “Today I received a call from an agency on my phone, asking for a contract to increase BJP membership from my account. Obviously, there are many such agencies. By taking their services, some self-serving leaders must be trying to rise through the ranks by flattering the organization,” his post read in Hindi.
He said some people in the past rose to prominence by printing advertisements and offering hospitality to party leaders. Vishnoi expressed disappointment and said money is being used to bolster membership numbers artificially, implying that genuine party workers were being sidelined in favour of those seeking shortcuts to leadership positions. “We old workers can do nothing but regret this decline,” he wrote.
The BJP has filed complaints with the Bhopal and Indore Crime Branch police alleging fraudulent attempts to mislead party officials. It pointed out that the phone call received by the MLA was part of a conspiracy to defame the party. It said Vishnoi received calls from the same number at three different times — 8:53 am, 10:10 am, and 1:15 pm. The party has demanded a detailed investigation into the matter.
The former minister recently made another allegation against his own government in the state. He alleged that the entire government of Madhya Pradesh was “bowing down” before liquor contractors. Congress attacked Chief Minister Mohan Yadav over the allegations. Vishnoi, who has held many important posts including that of health minister in Madhya Pradesh, has not been made a minister this time. He has been angry with the government for a long time.
Though the Congress welcomed the FIR, it continued to call the campaign “fake.” Umang Singhar, Leader of the Opposition, urged for an investigation into the sources of these “questionable” membership messages. “We have proof of how BJP is falsely inflating its membership count,” Mr Singhar said adding the FIR only highlighted the irregularities in the campaign.
BJP state president VD Sharma refuted the Congress’s claims, emphasising on transparency and success of the membership drive. “The Opposition is known for spreading lies. BJP workers have worked with honesty, and this campaign is indeed historic,” Mr Sharma said. He claimed that the membership drive attracted a significant number of young people, third-gender individuals, and minorities, with over 1.22 crore members having registered digitally.
However, the issue of missed call registrations has sparked debate. Journalists in Madhya Pradesh have also reportedly received messages confirming their BJP membership, raising further questions about the authenticity of the process.