Electoral Roll Confusion: No Notice Served to Bharat Ratna Laureate C.N.R. Rao, Says Bengaluru DEO

On Wednesday, Maheshwar Rao – the District Election Officer (DEO) for Bengaluru Urban and also the BBMP Chief Commissioner – stepped forward to put an end to rumours swirling in the media. Some outlets had suggested that a formal notice had been sent to Bharat Ratna awardee Prof. C.N.R. Rao as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the Malleswaram Assembly constituency.

Rao was quick to deny that any such notice existed. In a written clarification he said that the State SVEEP Nodal Officer, together with the BBMP (West) Commissioner, had simply visited Prof. Rao’s home, handed over the required enumeration forms to him and his family, and allowed them to fill in the details. No legal notice or warning was ever served.

The confusion, he explained, stems from an old entry on the 2002 roll. Back then, Rao was listed under serial number 431, part 129, with the name ‘Rama’. Today, his entry reads ‘Professor C.N. Rao M’ at serial number 187, part 59, in the re‑drawn 157‑Malleswaram constituency. The name discrepancy was flagged by the Booth Level Officer (BLO) during the SIR hearing.

Rather than sending a notice, the BLO recommended that Prof. Rao’s correct name be incorporated directly into the final draft of the electoral roll. The DEO’s statement affirmed that the necessary steps are being taken to ensure his name appears accurately in the upcoming list.

Prof. Rao, who received India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 2014, is therefore not facing any legal or procedural hiccup – just a routine correction of a decades‑old clerical slip.

The DEO’s clarification aims to clear any misunderstanding and reassure the public that the electoral roll revision process remains transparent and fair, even when it involves eminent personalities.