Six years after being honoured with the Padma Shri for his remarkable contribution to education, Karnataka-based educationist Harekala Hajabba has found himself facing an electoral verification issue over the spelling and format of his name in voter records.
Hajabba, widely recognised for transforming his earnings as an orange seller into an initiative to provide education in his village, received a notice from election officials on Monday during Karnataka’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The notice reportedly followed a mismatch between Hajabba’s name in an older electoral register and the name appearing across his current government documents.
Older Voter Record Lists Him Only as ‘Hajabba’
According to reports, Hajabba’s name was recorded simply as “Hajabba” in the 2002 electoral roll. His name in later official records, however, appears as “Harekala Hajabba”.
The Padma Shri recipient currently uses “Harekala Hajabba” on several important documents, including his Aadhaar card, ration card, passport and latest voter ID. The same name is also reportedly mentioned in records connected with his Padma Shri and other honours.
Election authorities are seeking clarification as part of the verification process.
Hajabba has been asked to appear before the concerned gram panchayat on September 11 and submit original documents supporting his identity and electoral registration.
The notice was reportedly handed to him by Anganwadi workers who visited his residence.
How an Orange Seller Built a School
Hajabba’s story has earned recognition across India because of his efforts to make education accessible to children in his native village.
Coming from a modest background, he worked as an orange seller in Mangaluru. Rather than using his earnings solely for his own needs, he channelled his income towards creating educational infrastructure in Newpadapu village.
His experience of seeing children without adequate access to schooling reportedly motivated him to establish a primary school in his native area.
His efforts eventually brought him national recognition. The Centre announced his Padma Shri in January 2020 in recognition of his contribution to education.
The award ceremony was subsequently held in November 2021, with the presentation delayed because of COVID-19-related restrictions.
Hajabba Among Lakhs Covered by Karnataka SIR
The notice issued to Hajabba comes as Karnataka carries out an extensive revision of its electoral rolls.
Nearly 44 lakh people are expected to receive notices during the claims and objections stage of the SIR process, according to the information cited in reports.
The exercise is intended to verify electoral records and address discrepancies in voter details.
The claims and objections phase is scheduled to continue from August 24 until October 22. Following the completion of the process, the final electoral roll is expected to be published on October 27.
For Hajabba, the issue centres on a difference between an old voter record and the name consistently used in his current identification and award-related documents. His appearance before the gram panchayat on September 11 is expected to allow officials to examine the original documents and determine the appropriate electoral record.
