The central leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is eyeing segments like the self-help groups (SHG) and Sakhi Mandals in a bid to increase its women membership base.

This comes in the wake of the recent electoral results and realisation that the party needs to broaden its grassroots base in the rural areas.

Party national general secretary Ram Lal, in a party meeting here last week called upon local leaders to explore the possibility of roping in these two major sections, which have organised themselves to get a toehold in the economy with the help of government funding agencies. The idea was to increase the membership base in the rural areas where SHGs and Sakhi Mandals are more active.

A press release by party spokesperson I K Jadeja said: “Shri Ram Lal ji said Gujarat is a strong state from the organisation point of view. Different morchas and cells should strengthen the membership drive. Mahila sadasyata abhiyan ne vadhu safal banavva Sakhi Mandalo, Swa Sahyata Mahila Joothne sankalva anurodh karyo hato (He requested us to rope in Sakhi Mandals and women’s SHGs to make women membership recruitment drive more successful).”

BJP state vice-president Chandrikaben Patel, who also attended the meeting, welcomed the idea, saying that SHGs and Sakhi Mandals are more organised and easier to work with. He said: “We will approach them and invite members who are willing to subscribe to the party ideology.”

Party MLA Vasuben Trivedi, who is working on the membership drive in Jamnagar district, said: “So far, we have not received any specific instructions from the party leadership to approach them,” she said.

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