Dhaka: As the party has failed to reach its target of recruiting one crore new members, BNP has extended its member collection and membership renewal drive by one more month until November 1.

Party senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi came up with the announcement at a discussion programme in the city on Monday.

‘A member collection and membership renewal drive of our party has been underway since July 1 across the country to strengthen our party’s organisational activities,’ he said.

The BNP leader further said, ‘It was a two-month programme initially, and we later extended it by one month which expired yesterday (Sunday). We’ve now been instructed to extend the drive by one more month until November 1.’

Sweden chapter BNP arranged the discussion programme at Dhaka Reporters Unity on the importance of the international overseers to hold a free, fair and credible election.

On July 1, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia inaugurated the party’s two-month-long drive setting a target to collect one crore new members by September 1.

On August 31, the party extended its member collection and membership renewal drive until October 1 as the party could sell only 60.56 lakh party membership forms by August 30.

According to sources at the BNP’s central office, the party extended the deadline of the programme further to reach the target of one crore new members.

The sources said the party has so far sold around 70 lakh party membership forms and earned Tk nearly over 7 crore by selling those at Tk 10 each.

BNP insiders said they could not carry out the drive properly at many parts of the country due to flood in 27 districts, inclement weather, Rohingya problem, intra-party conflicts and obstruction by police and ruling party activists.