Karnataka Election Commission Clarifies SIR Notice to CM’s Mother

The Karnataka Election Commission has rejected reports that Chief Minister D K Shivakumar’s mother Gowramma was served a notice as part of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

Officials said the confusion arose because three voters with the same name are registered at polling station number 249 in the Kanakapura Assembly constituency. Their EPIC numbers are different, allowing officials to distinguish between them.

According to the clarification issued by the election authorities, notices were sent to two of the three voters named Gowramma. Neither of those voters is the Chief Minister’s mother. Officials said the similarity in names appears to have led to the incorrect report that a notice had been issued to her.

The clarification was issued by the offices of the Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka and the Bengaluru district election authorities. The district election office also confirmed that Gowramma, the Chief Minister’s mother, does not appear on the list of people who received the notice.

The wider SIR exercise has generated attention across Karnataka because notices have been issued in a large number of cases. Election officials said more than 43 lakh voters have received notices after discrepancies, inconsistencies and cases where records could not be mapped were identified during the verification process.

However, receiving an SIR notice does not automatically mean that a voter must appear personally before an election officer. Officials have stressed that the notice is part of the verification process and does not by itself indicate that a voter has been called for a mandatory personal hearing.

The election authorities cited the case of Bharat Ratna awardee Professor C N R Rao as an example of how the process can work without requiring every person who receives a notice to appear at an election office.

Officials also explained why well known personalities can appear among people receiving SIR notices. The system examines voter records and flags discrepancies based on the available information. It does not distinguish between a prominent public figure and an ordinary voter while generating cases for verification.

Several prominent names, including actor Shivarajkumar, Infosys co founder Nandan Nilekani and Zerodha co founders Nikhil Kamath and Nithin Kamath, have also been mentioned by officials in connection with SIR notices.

The current exercise is aimed at checking electoral records by comparing older voter information with present records. Authorities said differences have emerged during the process, particularly when older records are compared with current details, leading to further verification.

For voters who receive notices, officials have sought to ease concerns about the procedure. In many cases, voters are not required to travel to an Election Registration Officer’s office. Booth Level Officers and Election Registration Officers are carrying out much of the verification work through field visits.

This approach is particularly useful for senior citizens and voters with disabilities. Officials said verification for such voters is being conducted at their homes so they do not face unnecessary difficulty in travelling for the process.

There have also been instances where officials have taken the verification process to hospitals. In places including Basavanagudi and Tiptur, some voters who received notices were undergoing treatment in hospitals. Election officials and booth level officers visited them there and completed the necessary verification, according to the authorities.

The election department has therefore made it clear that an SIR notice should not automatically be viewed as a demand for personal appearance at an election office. The method of verification can depend on the circumstances of the voter and the nature of the discrepancy identified in the records.

The clarification regarding Gowramma has also highlighted the importance of checking voter details carefully before drawing conclusions from names appearing in official lists. In this case, the presence of multiple voters with the same name created confusion, while their separate EPIC numbers helped officials establish that they were different individuals.

The Election Commission has maintained that the SIR exercise is intended to verify and update electoral records. As the process continues, authorities are expected to examine discrepancies through field level verification while ensuring that voters, particularly those who may face difficulties travelling, can complete the process through suitable arrangements.