Patna, March 3: The BJP is far behind its target of enrolling 75 lakh people during its five-month membership drive.

The party has managed to enrol only around 35 lakh people - less than half its target - in little over four months. The state BJP unit now has an uphill task of enrolling around 40 lakh people in 28 days.

On cloud nine after bagging 31 out of 40 seats in the state in the Lok Sabha elections last year with its allies and successive victories in Haryana and Maharashtra Assembly elections, the BJP had set a target of enrolling 75 lakh BJP members in the state. But the party failed to maintain the momentum of the last year's general election in enrolling members.

A BJP leader said: 'The membership drive of the party started on November 1 last year and in four months 35 lakh members have been enrolled. It will be a big challenge for the party to enrol 40 lakh members in the next 28 days.'

The BJP's membership drive would end in the state on March 31.

A source said the membership drive in the state had failed to attain the tempo because most MLAs and MPs, especially the ministers in the Narendra Modi-led ministry, did not show much interest.