Bharat Ratna awardee CNR Rao gets Karnataka SIR notice over extra ‘f’ in name; ECI to verify at home

Election Commission of India (ECI) officials will visit the Bengaluru residence of 92-year-old Bharat Ratna awardee and eminent scientist CNR Rao to verify his electoral details after a notice issued to him under Karnataka’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) triggered criticism.

An ECI official said Rao would not be required to travel to the designated hearing centre in Malleshwaram, near the Indian Institute of Science. Instead, officials will conduct the verification at his home.

The notice was issued over a “self-name mismatch” in the electoral records. Rao’s name appears as “Prof. C.N.R. Rao” in the previous electoral roll, while the current entry reads “Proff. C.N.R. Rao”, with an additional ‘f’ in the title.

The development comes amid growing attention to the SIR exercise in Karnataka, where voters whose records fall under categories such as “no mapping” and “anomalies” are being asked to establish or verify their details.

Name mismatch triggers notice to Bharat Ratna scientist

Rao was asked to appear at an SIR hearing centre in Malleshwaram to address the discrepancy. Under the procedure, a “self-name mismatch” can arise when information supplied during the enumeration process does not correspond with the elector’s existing electoral-roll entry.

The decision to conduct the verification at Rao’s residence follows similar concerns over notices being issued to prominent citizens whose electoral records contain discrepancies.

Rao, who received the Bharat Ratna in 2014, is among India’s most distinguished scientists and has made major contributions to solid-state and structural chemistry. He is the third scientist to have received the country’s highest civilian honour.

Economist and Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has also been flagged over a similar spelling discrepancy during the SIR process, although the ECI has said he would not be required to appear in person.

Hajabba case highlights concerns over SIR discrepancies

The issue also follows the recent case of Padma Shri awardee Harekala Hajabba, whose name was flagged during the Karnataka SIR because of differences between older and newer electoral records.

Hajabba’s name appeared simply as “Hajabba” in the 2002 electoral roll, whereas his Aadhaar card, ration card, passport, voter ID and other official documents carry the name “Harekala Hajabba”.

He was initially asked to appear at a gram panchayat on September 11 with original documents. However, officials later visited his residence, verified the documents and withdrew the notice. The Dakshina Kannada district administration subsequently said the discrepancy had been resolved.

Hajabba, a former fruit seller from Mangaluru who became known for using his savings from selling oranges to establish a school in his native village, was awarded the Padma Shri in 2020 for his contribution to education.

His case has drawn attention to the possibility of genuine voters being flagged when names recorded in older electoral rolls differ from those used in subsequent official documents.

Over 43.81 lakh Karnataka voters face notices

The SIR in Karnataka began on June 30. The ECI is expected to issue more than 4.381 million notices to voters whose records fall under the “no mapping” and “anomalies” categories.

The claims and objections process is scheduled to continue until October 22, while the final electoral roll is due to be published on October 27.

The exercise is part of the third phase of the nationwide SIR announced by the ECI in May. The phase covers Karnataka along with several other states and Union territories. Around 400,000 Booth Level Officers were assigned to conduct house-to-house verification involving approximately 367.3 million electors.

The first two phases covered 13 states and Union territories and nearly 590 million electors. The wider exercise is intended to identify and remove bogus, duplicate, deceased and otherwise ineligible voters while updating electoral records.

SIR has faced political criticism

The SIR exercise has faced opposition from political parties and civil society groups, with concerns raised about the documentation burden on voters and the possibility of legitimate electors being affected by discrepancies in historical records.

West Bengal witnessed one of the most contentious phases of the exercise. The ECI announced the deletion of nearly nine million names from the electoral roll, including around 2.7 million entries categorised as “logical discrepancies”.

The scale of the deletions became a major political issue, particularly after the difference in the absolute number of votes between the BJP and Trinamool Congress was found to be similar to the number of names removed during the revision.

With Rao’s case now being handled through a home verification and Hajabba’s notice already resolved, the incidents have put renewed focus on how the ECI is dealing with discrepancies involving long-standing and prominent voters during the Karnataka SIR.