Bhatkal: Karnataka's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has thrown up an unusual list of names, with as many as 43.81 lakh voters flagged for logical discrepancies or lack of mapping with the 2002 electoral rolls. The list includes, besides ordinary voters, a former election officer and deputy commissioner as well as several prominent personalities, highlighting the extent to which technical discrepancies in voter records have surfaced during the exercise.
Media reports have named Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani and members of his family, Zerodha co-founders Nithin Kamath and Nikhil Kamath and their mother Revathi Kamath, Kannada actor Shiva Rajkumar, Bharat Ratna awardee and scientist Prof C.N.R. Rao, Padma Shri awardee Harekal Hajabba, Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen and Gowramma, mother of Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, among those whose names have figured in the SIR verification process.
However, election officials have clarified that being flagged for a discrepancy, having a notice generated and being formally served a notice are not necessarily the same thing.
In some cases, officials have undertaken verification at the residence of the voter, while in others the discrepancy was resolved without serving a notice.
The latest case to attract attention is that of A.B. Ibrahim, a retired IAS officer and former Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Dakshina Kannada, who has reportedly received an SIR notice over a discrepancy in his name in the electoral records.
Ibrahim, who is currently registered as a voter in the Narasimharaja Assembly constituency in Mysuru, served as Dakshina Kannada DC and District Election Officer from 2013 to 2016.
The notice was reportedly issued after a difference was found between his name in the current electoral roll and the earlier electoral record.
Ibrahim has expressed surprise over the development, pointing out that he had himself served as a District Election Officer and conducted elections during his administrative career. He has questioned how ordinary voters, particularly those unfamiliar with electoral procedures, would be expected to deal with such notices if even a former election official can be flagged because of a technical discrepancy.
Among the prominent names figuring in the SIR exercise is Nandan Nilekani and his family, whose records have reportedly been flagged under the 'no mapping' category with the 2002 electoral rolls.
Similarly, the records of Nithin Kamath, Nikhil Kamath and their mother Revathi Kamath have reportedly shown discrepancies relating to the names of parents.
There has, however, been no detailed public response from the Kamath family or Nilekani on the issue in the reports available so far. Their names appearing in the discrepancy or notice-generation process should therefore not automatically be construed as confirmation that all of them were formally served notices.
Kannada actor Shiva Rajkumar has also figured in the verification exercise after his name was reportedly found to have no mapping with the 2002 electoral roll.
Election officials have indicated that verification for certain prominent voters can be carried out at their residences, sparing them the need to visit election offices.
The case of Padma Shri awardee Harekal Hajabba has also drawn attention. His name appeared differently in the old and current electoral records, with the 2002 roll carrying only 'Hajabba' while his present official records carry 'Harekal Hajabba'. Election officials subsequently visited his residence, verified the documents and resolved the discrepancy, following which the notice was withdrawn.
The name of Prof C.N.R. Rao also figured in reports about SIR discrepancies, but election officials later clarified that he had not actually been served a notice. A minor difference between his old and current electoral records had reportedly triggered the flagging of his name, but the Booth Level Officer recommended retaining his name in the electoral roll without issuing a formal notice.
Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen has also been reported among those whose records were flagged for verification over discrepancies. Reports said he was not required to personally appear before the election authorities. Similarly, the name of Gowramma, the mother of Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, figured in reports concerning a self-name mismatch. Election officials subsequently clarified that no notice had actually been served on the Chief Minister's mother and that confusion had arisen because three women with the same name were registered at the polling station concerned.
According to election authorities, the discrepancies are being identified through the SIR verification process on the basis of differences in names, parents' names and mapping with the 2002 electoral rolls, rather than on the basis of the social or official status of a voter. The exercise has flagged 43.81 lakh voters across Karnataka for such discrepancies or lack of mapping.
The large-scale verification process has nevertheless triggered concern among ordinary voters. While prominent personalities are, in several cases, being given residential verification or having discrepancies resolved without requiring them to visit election offices, poorer voters, members of the middle class and daily-wage workers say they have little access to such facilities.
Some voters have questioned why people born in India, possessing complete documents and having already gone through the process of filling out the required forms and completing electoral mapping, are still being served notices and asked to establish their Indian citizenship. They argue that if discrepancies in the records of prominent personalities can be verified at their homes or resolved through administrative intervention, similar facilities and a uniform procedure should be made available to ordinary voters as well, particularly those who cannot afford to lose a day's wages by repeatedly visiting election offices.
The controversy surrounding A.B. Ibrahim's notice has therefore added another dimension to the ongoing SIR exercise. His case, coming from a former DC and former District Election Officer himself, has raised questions about the scale of technical discrepancies in electoral records and the burden that the verification process could place on ordinary voters.