Lucknow, Aug 14 (IANS): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh has achieved its target of enrolling 50 lakh new members, ahead of the August 20 deadline.

The party is now aiming to enrol a total of 80 lakh members by the deadline.

According to party's organising secretary, Sunil Bansal, the party's state unit now ranks first in the country on the membership drive.

The party's membership drive was launched on July 6 and the BJP in Uttar Pradesh now has a total of 1.36 crore members.

Bansal said the party has managed to make 60 to 70 per cent members in booths where the party did not have any members.

"We have made about three lakh members per day and this number reached 6 to 7 lakh per day after the scrapping of Article 370. We had set a target of having more than 50 per cent members at every booth," he said.

The BJP leader said that from August 16 to 25, a campaign for verification of members would be done.

The process of organisational elections would be launched from September 1, beginning at the booth level.

Uttar Pradesh minister Ashutosh Tandon has already been appointed in-charge of organisational polls in the state.

The BJP is also preparing to launch a campaign to spread awareness about the scrapping of Article 370 and the 'freedom' of Kashmir in the true sense of the term.