… age catches up with Basu

For the first time in 60 years,veteran CPM leader Jyoti Basu could not cast his vote on Wednesday and instead spent the day monitoring the news at home on television.

On Tuesday night,Basu reportedly fell in his room while going to the bathroom but escaped any major injury. He hurt his shin bone,said his personal assistant Joykrishna Ghosh. The EC had turned down his request for making arrangements for him to cast his vote from his residence in Salt Lake. Chief Electoral Officer Debashish Sen had said on Tuesday that he would arrange for all the facilities that the EC allows for senior citizens. Sen had also said that Basu only needed to reach the premises and the rest would be taken care of. But Basu failed to make it because of ill health.

On Wednesday morning,however,Basus aides made it clear that his voting decisions had nothing to do with the ECs behaviour. Basu has not been keeping too well and had slipped on the bathroom floor and hurt the shin bone in the process. He is resting today and has been watching all the news channels since morning,trying to keep tab of all the news. He has never missed a vote and this is the first time, said Ghosh. He,however,denied that Basu had requested the EC for special privileges. Why would Basu ask the EC to place the ballot box at his home? Basu never made any such request. He was contemplating till Tuesday whether he should vote and then he had the accident. After that there was no question of voting. He is too old to vote now, said Ghosh.

Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi,meanwhile,visited Basu him and congratulated him for becoming a great grandfather. He was frail but as usual in good humour and wisdom, Gandhi said. CPM leader Brinda Karat,who also visited Basu,said: He was doing fine. He was seated in front of the TV and watching the elections.

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