The Election Commission of India (ECI) has flagged the names of Nandan Nilekani and his family members in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) discrepancy list, as part of a nationwide effort to update electoral rolls. According to the Times of India, notices were generated for the entrepreneur and his family under the ‘no-mapping’ category, as they had not provided details of their names in the 2002 voter list. The Bengaluru South City Corporation (BSCC) commissioner, Ramesh KN, stated that officials would check the records for discrepancies and resolve them without issuing notices, though he was unaware of the current status of the notices.

The discrepancy list, accessed by The Indian Express, shows that Nilekani, 71, his wife Rohini Nilekani, 67, and their children Janhvi Nandan Nilekani, 38, and Nihar Nilekani, 36, are classified as ‘Unmapped with last SIR.’ This classification applies to voters not part of the 2002 electoral rolls. The family is listed in the draft electoral roll for the BTM Layout constituency and are voters at Reddy Janasangha High School in Third Block, Koramangala. They will need to submit one of the 11 documents approved by the ECI for inclusion in the final electoral roll, which is scheduled for publication on October 27.

The ECI also clarified that no notice was issued to Bharat Ratna Prof CNR Rao in connection with the SIR in Malleswaram assembly constituency. District election officer Maheshwar Rao stated that reports claiming Rao had been issued a notice were incorrect. Officials found a spelling mismatch in his electoral records, with his name recorded as ‘Rama’ in the 2002 rolls, while he is currently registered as ‘Prof CN Rao M.’ The booth-level officer recommended his inclusion in the final roll without requiring him to appear for a hearing.

The SIR exercise has flagged 43.8 lakh voters across Karnataka due to spelling mismatches, logical discrepancies, and absence of mapping with the 2002 data. Notices are generated automatically by the ECI’s software system, which does not distinguish VIPs from other voters. However, once a booth-level officer identifies a notice in the name of a VIP, it may not be served, and verification is conducted at the voter’s residence.

The discrepancy list also includes other notable figures, such as Padma Shri awardee Harekala Hajabba, who has been issued a notice over a name mismatch. Officials said the notice phase will end on October 22, after which voters must submit documents to Booth Level Officers. The ECI has not provided a timeline for the resolution of all discrepancies, and the process remains ongoing.

What remains unknown is the exact status of the notices issued to Nilekani and his family, as well as the full extent of the ECI’s verification process for VIPs. The ECI has not yet released a detailed breakdown of how discrepancies are resolved for high-profile individuals, leaving questions about the transparency and fairness of the SIR exercise.