Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s mother, Gowramma, has been included in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) notice list for a ‘self-name mismatch’ in the Kanakapura constituency, according to The Hindu Bengaluru. The list also includes Zerodha co-founders Nithin Kamath and Nikhil Kamath, and the entire family of Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani. The notices were issued as part of the ongoing SIR process to flag discrepancies in electoral records.

The Election Commission (EC) clarified that prominent individuals, including Bharat Ratna awardee Prof CNR Rao, were not issued formal notices despite discrepancies in their records. The GBA stated that no notice had been issued to Rao, and the Booth Level Officer recommended his name be retained in the final roll. Similarly, notices were generated for Nandan Nilekani and Nikhil Kamath, though it is unclear if they were officially issued. The EC also mentioned that verification for actor Shivarajkumar was conducted at his residence, avoiding the need for travel to the GBA office.

The GBA Chief Commissioner, M. Maheshwar Rao, confirmed that steps would be taken to assist senior citizens and persons with disabilities, including the deployment of additional Electoral Registration Officers. A special campaign was also planned for September 19 and 20 to help voters file claims and objections through various forms. The same procedure will be followed for VIPs, with officials visiting them to complete the process.

For ordinary voters, minor discrepancies have led to confusion. An elderly resident in Bengaluru received a notice due to a formatting difference in her name between the current and 2002 records, despite no substantive change in spelling. A tech professional in Cooke Town faced a similar issue due to transliteration differences during digitisation. Both reported spending time at the office to resolve the notices, highlighting the challenges faced by regular voters.

Voters have also raised concerns about the publication of notice lists, which often lack details such as hearing dates, venues, and times. Some lists uploaded to the Chief Electoral Officer’s website became inaccessible, complicating the process. Voters have requested complete copies of notices in both Kannada and English, as promised by Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer V Anbu Kumar. However, the notices are described as harder to understand than the enumeration forms due to the inclusion of different discrepancy categories and instructions.

The GBA has not commented on the broader implications of the notices for ordinary voters, focusing instead on the arrangements for VIPs and elderly citizens. The situation remains unclear for many, with some voters struggling to locate the responsible officials and others facing unnecessary administrative hurdles due to minor record differences.