Typo in Bharat Ratna Prof CNR Rao's Name Triggers ECI Notice in Bengaluru
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Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Renowned chemist and Bharat Ratna awardee Prof CNR Rao has been reportedly served a notice by the Election Commission of India after a clerical error added an extra 'f' to his title in Karnataka’s revised electoral rolls.
The notice was generated under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) voter roll clean-up exercise in Karnataka after the scientist's name, recorded as "Prof CNR Rao" in older electoral rolls, appeared as "Proff CNR Rao" in updated records.
A representative from Rao's office reportedly confirmed that they had not physically received the letter or an email notice yet, though the document appears to have been uploaded online on the ECI website.
"According to the office records and email, there is no notice as of now. A physical letter also has not reached us," the representative stated, adding that except for the additional letter in the word "Proff", no other discrepancies exist as per reports.
The notice directs the 90-year-old scientist to appear for a hearing in Bengaluru’s Malleshwaram, located near the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), to rectify the "self-name mismatch".
Systemic Electoral Roll Drive
Rao is not the only high-profile figure caught in the administrative net. The Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) recently clarified that a similar notice was reportedly issued to Padma Shri recipient and social worker Harekala Hajabba in Mangaluru due to a name mismatch, which has since been resolved.
The drive has seen widespread implementation across the state. According to official data released last week:
- Total notices generated: Over 43.81 lakh notices under "no mapping" and "anomalies" categories.
- Notices delivered: 7.31 lakh delivered to electors so far.
- Total electors in Karnataka: 4,46,38,124 registered voters as of September 4.
- Demographic break-up: 2.21 crore male, 2.24 crore female, and 2,871 transgender electors.
A Legacy in Chemistry
Born in Bengaluru in 1934, Rao founded the Solid State and Structural Chemistry Unit at the IISc in 1976 and served as the institute's director from 1984 to 1994. Over a career spanning decades, he has authored more than 1,600 research papers on solid-state materials, nanomaterials, and structural chemistry, earning him the country's highest civilian honour alongside global recognition.
