THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: BJP national president Amit Shah will visit the state on Friday to step up the party membership drive with an eye on the Assembly elections in the state in 2016. He will address a public meeting in Palakkad as well as hold consultations with district presidents, general secretaries and state office-bearers to take stock of the membership campaign.

He may also meet the office-bearers on Friday and encourage more CPM cadre to cross over to the party.

This is Amit Shah’s second trip to the state after he took over as party president in July. During his last trip here on September 1, he had urged the state leadership to improve the vote share gained in the Lok Sabha elections.

BJP state president V. Muraleedharan told DC that Mr Amit Shah would attend only party programmes and denied any plans to meet Church leaders.

“So far, 1.42 lakh people have joined the party’s digital membership drive,” said Mr Muraleedharan.

There were rumours earlier that Pathanapuram MLA and KC (B) leader K. B. Ganesh Kumar would join the BJP, but Mr Kumar himself denied any such move after former state BJP president C.K. Padmanabhan welcomed him to the party.

“There were many attempts earlier to tarnish my political career, but I faced all that. I have never thought of quitting the UDF. My party has to decide that. I have not held any discussions with anybody on joining the BJP,” said Mr Ganesh Kumar.

Mr Muraleedharan said his party was yet to hold any talks on Mr Ganesh Kumar’s issue.