Prime Minister Narendra Modi will formally launch the BJP’s membership drive in his Parliamentary constituency Varanasi on Saturday.

The launch of the BJP’s membership drive from Varanasi will coincide with the birth anniversary of Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee.

He will address party workers besides unveiling a statue of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri at the local airport, said a party functionary.

The Prime Minister will also launch a tree-plantation campaign, “Anand Kanan”, in the temple city.

Modi will address around 5,000 party workers at Deendayal Upadhyaya Trade Facilitation Centre in Bada Lalpur,where he will launch the membership drive and facilitate some of the party workers.

Ahead of the launch, PM Modi tweeted: “At around 11:30 this morning, I will address the programme in Varanasi marking the launch of @BJP4India’s Membership Drive. During my speech, I will elaborate on my thoughts on the Budget and India’s growth trajectory in the coming years. Do watch.”

Earlier on Friday after the Union Budget, Modi tweeted that the drive will “further connect people from all walks of life with the BJP family and strengthen the party”.

On the Jayanti of our inspiration, Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the @BJP4India Membership Drive will begin. I will be joining the programme in Kashi to mark the same.

This drive will further connect people from all walks of life with the BJP family. It will strengthen our party.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 5, 2019

BJP working President JP Nadda has set a target of 36 lakh new members for the party’s membership drive in Uttar Pradesh. He said that efforts should be made to increase the target to 50 lakh.

Nadda, who arrived in Lucknow on Friday evening on his first visit after being appointed working President, held a late night marathon meeting with BJP National Secretary (organization) Shiv Prasad, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, BJP UP in-charge Sunil Bansal, Union Minister and state BJP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey and Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma.

Former Union Minister Kalraj Misra was a special invitee at the meeting.

The party discussed the success of pre-poll programmes such as ‘Mera parivar, BJP parivar’ and ‘Mera booth, sabse mazboot’ as well as restructuring of community-wise cells and sabhas from booth to top level.

“At present BJP has 1.8 crore members in UP and our intention is to register 20 per cent increase in membership which is 36 lakh. I would like to see this go up to 50 lakh,” he said.

The membership drive is being billed as a big event by the party ahead of by-polls to 12 state Assembly seats. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is seeing the event to sustain the momentum gathered after Lok Sabha results for 2022 UP polls.

Nadda also made it clear that relatives of legislators who had been elected to the Lok Sabha would not be considered for tickets in the by elections.

It will be Modi’s second visit to the constituency after winning the Lok Sabha elections.

PM Modi had visited his constituency on May 27 to thank people for imposing faith in his government.

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Governor Ram Naik will receive the prime minister at the Varanasi airport, along with BJP working president JP Nadda and Union minister Mahendra Nath Pandey.