Amaravathi (Andhra Pradesh) [India], March 16 (ANI): A state-level Special Intensive Revision (SIR) workshop was conducted in Vijayawada, with Andhra Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president PVN Madhav clarifying that it was not a party-specific programme.

Speaking on the occasion, Madhav said that the SIR was recently discussed in Parliament. He clarified that it was not a BJP programme and that it was previously conducted in 2002, and was now being implemented again.

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He said the programme was conducted under the supervision of the Election Commission (EC) and was a regular process in a democratic system. Madhav added that the SIR exercise was also carried out earlier during the Congress regime.

He explained that the SIR was essentially a voter registration process aimed at updating the electoral rolls and removing infiltrators or ineligible entries.

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"If infiltrators are removed, who will be upset? Only the Congress party," he remarked.

He further stated that the programme has already been completed in four states and will be conducted in 22 states from April onwards.

The BJP leader said that many participants are attending this workshop and that the programme will continue for 90 days.

Madhav noted that a national-level workshop had already been conducted and that a similar workshop was now being organised in the state.

He also alleged that everyone was aware of how unauthorised votes were registered during the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) regime.

Earlier, the ECI announced the schedule for Assembly polls for Kerala, Assam, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry.

As per the announcement, the assembly elections will commence from April 9. Polling in Assam, Kerala and Puducherry will be held on April 9 in a single phase. While in West Bengal, the first phase of voting is scheduled for April 23, followed by the second phase on April 29.

Tamil Nadu will hold its elections on April 23 in a single phase. Counting of votes for all five states and UTs is scheduled for May 4. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)