Bengaluru, September 9, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
No notice was issued to Bharat Ratna awardee and renowned scientist Professor C.N. Rao in connection with the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Karnataka, Bengaluru City District Election Officer and Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Chief Commissioner Maheshwar Rao clarified on Wednesday.
The clarification followed media reports claiming that the 92-year-old scientist had received a notice over a discrepancy in his name in the electoral rolls.
Maheshwar Rao said officials personally delivered Enumeration Forms to Professor Rao and his family members at their residence as part of the SIR exercise. The team included the state’s SVEEP nodal officer and the Commissioner of the Bengaluru West City Municipal Corporation, who also assisted the family in providing the required information.
According to the Election Officer, Professor Rao was listed in the 2002 electoral roll of the erstwhile 76-Malleswaram Assembly constituency under Part No. 129 and Serial No. 431. His name in that roll was recorded as “Ram”.
He is currently registered as an elector in Part No. 59 and Serial No. 187 of the 157-Malleswaram Assembly constituency under the name “Professor C.N. Rao M”. His name has also appeared in the draft electoral roll.
Maheshwar Rao said there was a discrepancy in the name recorded in the electoral records, but the Booth Level Officer (BLO) did not issue any notice to Professor Rao or summon him for an SIR hearing.
Instead, considering Professor Rao a “respected person”, the BLO recommended that his name be retained and included in the final electoral roll. Necessary steps have subsequently been initiated for inclusion of his name in the final roll, the Election Officer said.
Earlier reports had claimed that Professor Rao was served a notice citing “self-name mismatch” and asked to appear for a hearing in Malleshwaram, near the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), to establish his identity.
Those reports referred to a spelling discrepancy between the older electoral roll, where his name was reportedly recorded as “Prof C.N.R. Rao”, and the current record, which reportedly carried “Proff C.N.R. Rao”.
The official clarification has ruled out the reported claim that Professor Rao was summoned for a hearing over the spelling discrepancy as part of the ongoing electoral roll revision.
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