From Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani to Bharat Ratna awardee CNR Rao and Zerodha founders Nikhil and Nithin Kamath, several prominent Bengaluru residents have been flagged by the Election Commission during the ongoing revision of Karnataka’s electoral rolls.
The reasons why each of their names were flagged vary. Nilekani and his family members were classified as “unmapped with last SIR”, while the Kamath family was flagged over a mismatch in parents’ names. Rao’s name was flagged over a discrepancy with the 2002 electoral roll, though officials later clarified that no notice was issued to him. Padma Shri awardee Harekala Hajabba has also received a notice over a name mismatch.
The flags are part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, an exercise to verify voter details against previous electoral rolls and the information submitted through enumeration forms.
In Nilekani’s case, his wife and two children were also classified as “unmapped with last SIR”, The Indian Express reported. The category applies to voters whose details could not be mapped to the 2002 electoral rolls. It is not clear whether the notices generated for Nilekani and his family have been served.
Bengaluru South City Corporation Commissioner Ramesh KN said officials would check the records and resolve discrepancies where necessary. “I am not aware of the status of the notices generated for Nilekani. I will check the details,” he said.
Zerodha founders Nikhil Kamath and Nithin Kamath and their mother Revathi Kamath were flagged for a “parents’ name mismatch” in the Bangalore South Assembly constituency, The Hindu reported.
Karnataka’s draft electoral roll, published on August 24, excluded the names of more than one crore voters, accounting for 19.4% of the state’s electorate.
The Election Commission had said 43 lakh people would receive notices because their enumeration forms contained discrepancies or because their names could not be mapped to the previous electoral roll.
Voters whose names were excluded from the draft roll can file claims and objections until September 23. The appeals will be heard until October 22. The final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on October 27.
Karnataka election authorities have also said officials will visit prominent citizens and very important persons at their homes so they do not have to appear at hearing centres. Similar arrangements will be made for elderly voters and persons with disabilities.
Karnataka is among the states and Union Territories covered in the third phase of the SIR. The first phase of the exercise was conducted in Bihar in 2025, before it was expanded to other states and Union Territories.
The revision has triggered concerns over the possible exclusion of genuine voters from electoral rolls. The Supreme Court has upheld the legality of the exercise, while clarifying that the SIR does not give the Election Commission the power to determine whether or not a person is an Indian citizen.