In a bid to strengthen its grassroots presence across Meghalaya, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has elected 60 Mandal Presidents, one for each constituency in the state. The move follows a highly successful membership drive that added 60,000 new members in just two months, starting October 2.
The official announcement was made on Monday at the BJP state headquarters, where State Vice President Khrawboklang Basaiawmoit read out the list of newly elected Mandal Presidents.
Speaking at the event, BJP State General Secretary Wankitbok Pohshna underscored the significance of this development for the party’s organizational structure.
“This initiative will make our grassroots presence felt. With Mandal Presidents in place, the state and district leadership can establish stronger connections with the constituencies through the mandals,” Pohshna stated.
Pohshna further elaborated on the scale of the party’s growth during the membership drive. “Nationwide, the BJP has registered more than 12.8 crore new members this time. In Meghalaya alone, under the leadership of State Convenor AL Hek, we added over 60,000 new primary members. With this groundwork almost complete, we are now moving forward with the organizational elections,” he said.
Expressing optimism about the new leadership, Pohshna added, “I am confident that with the new faces and Mandal Presidents, we will be able to make inroads in previously weak areas.”
When asked whether not contesting the Parliamentary elections had impacted the BJP in Meghalaya, Pohshna admitted it had a minor effect but stressed that the recent membership drive had reinvigorated the party. “Not entirely, but yes, it did have a small impact. However, with this membership drive, we have reactivated ourselves,” he said.
On the upcoming District Council polls, the BJP confirmed its participation and has begun accepting applications from aspiring candidates. Basaiawmoit confirmed that January 6 is the final date for submitting applications.
“Today is the last day for submissions. We haven’t opened the application box yet, so we are yet to see how many applicants have applied,” Basaiawmoit said. He also noted that while the BJP may not contest all seats, it will strategically field candidates in selected constituencies.
The BJP’s strategic focus on grassroots leadership and district council elections reflects its ambitions to expand its influence in Meghalaya’s political landscape.