Bharat Ratna Awardee Prof. C.N.R Rao’s Name Flagged for 'Self-Mismatch' in Karnataka's Ongoing SIR Verification

PROFESSOR CHINTAMANI NAGESA RAMACHANDRA RAO, popularly known as C.N.R Rao, has had his name flagged over a spelling mismatch during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state of Karnataka. Professor Rao is one of the most well-reputed, celebrated and respected scientists in the country, widely known for his contribution in the field of solid state and material chemistry globally.

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He is also a Bharat Ratna awardee—the highest civilian award in India—and has held key positions in the country’s scientific policy formulation. 

Who is Professor Rao?

Professor Rao, has been a key personality in the field of solid state and material chemistry around the globe, and is reportedly the winner of all awards and recognitions, except the Nobel prize. He was born in Basavanagudi in Bengaluru, Karnataka on June 30, 1934, and is currently serving as the Linus Pauling Research Professor and Honorary President at the the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR). Prof. Rao completed his masters from Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and then went on to pursue his Ph.D from Purdue University in 1958.

After returning to India, Prof. Rao had equally contributed in the field of academic research and policy making by serving as a teaching faculty at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and as scientific policy heads of multiple divisions under the Indian Government. He was pivotal in heading the Scientific Advisory Councils of Rajiv Gandhi, H.D. Deve Gowda, I.K Gujral and Manmohan Singh.

SIR Flags ‘Name-Spelling Mismatch’

According to various media reports, Prof. Rao had been issued a notice regarding the ‘self-name mismatch,’ under the ongoing voter roll updation in Karnataka. The notice, according to a report by The Hindu, informed that the older rolls mention him as Prof. C.N.R Rao, while the current rolls record an extra ‘f’ in “Prof,” stating his name as “Proff. C.N.R Rao.” According to the directives and rules of the SIR process under the supervision of the Election Commission of India (ECI), a ‘Self-name mismatch’ falls under the category of logical discrepancy.

The ECI defines logical discrepancy as an error, when an elector, whose name is present in the 2002 electoral roll, uses their own details from that roll to fill out the enumeration form, but those details do not match the current electoral roll. 

Across India, SIR processes involved huge logical discrepancies, often acting as a major source of concern and fear among the people. The names against which a notice of ‘logical discrepancy’ is issued are eventually called for a hearing, and are required to showcase their documents as proof. 

ECI Assures Prof. Rao’s Family 

As of now, the ECI has assured the representatives of Prof. Rao’s family that the correction would be made and the matter would be resolved at the earliest without any inconvenience to Prof. Rao, ThePrint reported. AN Jayachandra, administrator of the CNR Rao Education Foundation, told ThePrint that no ‘notice’ had been issued to Rao. The ECI had only communicated about a spelling-mismatch in Prof. Rao’s name. 

Amid growing speculation over Prof. Rao’s ‘logical discrepancy,’ Bengaluru City District Election Officer and Chief Commissioner for Greater Bengaluru Authority, Maheshwar Rao, clarified that no notice had been issued to Professor C.N.R Rao. He further confirmed that adequate steps are being taken to include Prof. Rao’s name in the final electoral roll. 

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As of now, the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer in Karnataka has stated that the SIR process has generated over 43.81 lakh notices, of which 7.31 lakh notices have been delivered to the electors. As of September 4, 2026, the state has a total of 4,46,38,124 electors in its rolls, with 2.21 crore male, 2.24 crore female, and 2,871 transgender electors. Officials also informed that the notices issued so far have flagged names under the category of ‘no mapping’ and ‘anomalies’ in the electoral roll revision exercise. 

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