BBMP North Clarifies on Electoral Roll Notice Generated for Scientist C.N.R. Rao
Election authorities in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) North district on Wednesday clarified that no physical notice was served to Bharat Ratna awardee and eminent scientist C.N.R. Rao over an electoral roll discrepancy, and that his name was approved for addition to the final voter rolls.
The clarification followed controversy after Prof. Rao's name was flagged under the "self-name mismatch" category during the Summary Revision (SIR) process. Additional District Election Officer (ADEO) for BBMP North district, Pommala Sunil Kumar, stated on Wednesday that while an automated notice was generated by the system after the discrepancy was detected, it was never handed over to the scientist.
According to ADEO Sunil Kumar, election personnel factored in Prof. Rao's stature before taking action. He stated that the Booth Level Officer (BLO), without serving any notice to him, recommended the case directly for final approval to the Additional Electoral Registration Officer (AERO). On September 8, the AERO approved the record for inclusion in the final electoral roll, citing his contributions and stature.
Despite the administration's clarification, the official list published by the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) continued to display Prof. Rao's name under the notice category as of 6 p.m. on Wednesday. System-generated notices are routinely created whenever discrepancies appear, but there had been no prior formal notification from the CEO office regarding special exemptions, residential hearings, or direct additions for VIPs and prominent personalities.
The ADEO statement also released photographs showing that an enumeration form had been delivered to Prof. Rao's residence. Under the standard SIR procedure, a notice is generated only after an enumeration form is submitted and a discrepancy is spotted following the release of the draft roll.
The Election Commission of India and local electoral officials reiterated that the scientist was never physically served the notice, seeking to quell public concern over the bureaucratic mix-up.
