The UNP had recruited 800,000 new party members within one month of the launch of its project to increase its membership by three million new members, party sources said.

Recruiting three million new members is one of the projects envisaged by Party Leader and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in view of party’s 70th anniversary being marked this year.

Wickremesinghe has instructed his party men to recruit two third of the country’s eligible voters as UNP members, head of UNP Communication Wing and Private Secretary to the Prime Minister Sudath Chandrasekera said.

He said 689,000 newcomers obtained party membership by purchasing Rs 20 party membership card. Another 112,000 have become UNP members by downloading and installing mobile application UNP app introduced by the party recently.

In addition, expatriate Sri Lankans too had obtained party membership during the last month, Chandrasekera said. Among them were 4000 expatriates who became UNP members by purchasing Rs 100 membership card and around 1000 others who obtained membership through the Rs 1000 membership card, he said.