AP BJP chief accuses opposition of spreading SIR misinformation

Vijayawada: AP BJP chief PVN Madhav on Sunday accused opposition parties of spreading misinformation about the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and said the exercise was a routine process conducted by the Election Commission (EC), not a new initiative introduced by the BJP or the Centre.Speaking at a state-level workshop on SIR organised in Vijayawada on Sunday, Madhav said the revision of electoral rolls is a continuous process carried out every year to add new voters and remove ineligible entries. He clarified that the SIR process has been in existence since 2002, including during the tenure of the Congress govt.Speaking on the occasion, Madhav said the use of modern technology in the present exercise enhanced transparency in identifying and deleting ineligible names from the voters' list.Referring to the controversy during the Bihar elections, Madhav said opposition parties created unnecessary confusion over the issue, though Union Home Minister Amit Shah already clarified the matter in Parliament.Madhav noted that the SIR process was already completed in four states, while it will begin in 22 more states from April 1. He called upon BJP leaders and workers in Andhra Pradesh to actively participate and ensure the success of the exercise.The BJP chief further said the workshop was organised to create awareness among party leaders and workers about the SIR process. District Presidents, zonal in-charges, and state general secretaries jointly appointed BLA-1 representatives, who will play a key role in the exercise over the next 90 days.UP MLA Shrikant Sharma, who attended as the chief guest, presented a PowerPoint presentation explaining the SIR process and said party workers should work in support of genuine voters, as the exercise is conducted by the ECI.BJP state convenor N Ramakrishna Reddy, minister Satya Kumar Yadav, MP D Purandeswari, Legislature party leader P Vishnu Kumar Raju, Legislative council floor leader Somu Veerraju, MLC Pothula Sunitha, 20-Point Programme Implementation Committee chairman Lanka Dinakar, and others participated.