A fresh political and administrative controversy has erupted over electoral roll revisions, drawing in Infosys co-founder and Aadhaar architect Nandan Nilekani. This development follows ongoing political turbulence surrounding a similar revision dispute involving a prominent political figure in Punjab. During the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Karnataka, election authorities flagged discrepancies regarding Nandan Nilekani and his family members, placing their names on a list requiring further verification.
Discrepancies Noted in Voter Records
The list includes seventy-one-year-old Nandan Nilekani, his sixty-seven-year-old wife Rohini, along with their thirty-eight-year-old daughter Jahnvi and thirty-six-year-old son Nihar. Due to this administrative review, the family may receive formal notices during the document verification process. According to media reports, the entries corresponding to their names carry a remark indicating they are unmapped with the last special intensive revision, implying their records could not be traced directly back to the voter database from 2002.
Constituency Details and Verification Requirements
The Nilekani family is currently registered under the BTM Layout assembly constituency draft voter list. They traditionally cast their votes at the Reddy Jana Sangha High School located in the third block of Koramangala. The final electoral roll is scheduled for publication on October 27. To validate their inclusion and prove their eligibility, they are required to furnish any one of the eleven official documents accepted by the Election Commission.
Background on Nilekani and UIDAI
Nandan Nilekani notably contested the parliamentary elections in 2014 from the Bangalore South constituency. He faced a defeat against senior political leader and former union minister Ananth Kumar by a margin of 2.28 lakh votes. Widely recognized as the pioneer of India's Aadhaar identification system, Nilekani has previously served as the founding chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India, the central institution responsible for managing the entire Aadhaar ecosystem today.
Other Eminent Personalities Flagged
The election body's discrepancy list also features prominent figures such as renowned scientist and Bharat Ratna recipient Professor C.N.R. Rao and Padma Shri awardee Harekala Hajabba. While Professor Rao's name was flagged due to a mismatch with the 2002 records, Bengaluru Urban District Election Officer Maheshwar Rao clarified that no notice has been dispatched to him, and his booth-level officer has formally recommended his inclusion in the final rolls. Meanwhile, Hajabba received a notice due to discrepancies found in his name records.
Deadlines and Overall Scope of Notices
Out of the 4.46 crore voters included in the draft rolls across the state, approximately 43.81 lakh individuals have been issued notices regarding these discrepancies. These citizens are required to submit the necessary verification documents to their designated booth-level officers by October 22 to ensure their names remain active on the final electoral rolls.
