KOZHIKODE: Everyone was curious to know whether renowned historian MGS Narayanan would come and exercise his franchise in the polling booth after a mistake by the booth-level officer (BLO) cost him his postal ballot. The 90-year old could not cast his vote. “He cannot move from one room to another now. Earlier, he used to come out and sit in the porch of the house,” told MGS’ wife Premalatha C M.
MGS is a voter at the booth in Malapparambu UP School, which is near his residence. He had applied to cast his vote through the postal ballot facility for persons aged 80 and above. But at that time, a fake message was spread through WhatsApp that the eminent historian was no more. Without checking the message’s veracity, the BLO removed his name from the list of postal voters and reported that MGS was no more. After learning about his mistake from media, the BLO visited the former chairman of the Indian Council of Historical Research.
“He met my husband and expressed regret. The BLO said he was transferred to Perambra and had been in preparations for moving in there. Hence, he forgot to check the veracity of the WhatsApp message,” said Premalatha. The officer said he had struck off MGS’ name not deliberately or out of political leanings. Though District Collector S Sambasiva Rao had promised facilities to make MGS vote on Tuesday, his health condition did not permit it.