After Bihar triumph, RJD eyes 50 lakh new members

Patna, Nov 24 Bolstered by its massive triumph in Bihar assembly polls, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Tuesday asked its party leaders and activists to consolidate the party's strength by wooing 50 lakh new members.

A decade after being ousted from the power in Bihar, the RJD recently made a literally incredible comeback in state politics after party chief Lalu Prasad decided to join hands with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal-United and the Congress for a Grand Alliance.

With the RJD now in power, Lalu Prasad has asked his RJD leaders and activists to attract 50 lakh new members to the party. "It is your responsibility to attract lakhs of new members to the party," Lalu Prasad said in his address at a party meet here.

The meet was attended by Lalu Prasad's sons Tejaswi Yadav, deputy chief minister of Bihar, and Tej Pratap Yadav, health minister. 

Besides all the newly elected RJD legislators, the meeting was attended by former legislators, members of parliament, former MPs and party candidates who lost the recent assembly polls.

"RJD would launch a membership drive soon to attract more and more youth to the party fold. We aim to induct 50 lakh new members by December 15," senior party leader and former MP Jagdanand Singh said.

"We strongly believe in realistic data base. There has been a surge among youth in favour of the RJD that resulted in its massive victory in Bihar assembly polls. We want them to bond with the vision and ideals of the organisation," he added.

The RJD has emerged as the largest single party with 80 legislators in the Bihar assembly followed by its ally Janata Dal-United with 71 legislators.

Singh on Monday announced the schedule for organisational polls. The present term of the party's functionaries will expire on January 20 next year.