Ponkunnam: Joseph Ouseph was baffled when he found his name listed among deceased voters. He later appeared before the panchayat secretary to prove that he was, in fact, alive and to have his name reinstated in the regular voters’ list.
Muthukulam Veettil Joseph Ouseph (67), who lives in house number 4/427 in ward 4 of Chirakadavu panchayat, was listed under serial number 253 in the voters’ register. However, in the recently published revision, his name appeared in the deleted section.

Congress party workers who reviewed the list noticed the error and brought Joseph to the panchayat office to get his name restored. Meanwhile, Congress mandalam president Xavier Moolakunnu and general secretary Biju Munduveli alleged that the panchayat secretary failed to provide a proper explanation and accused him of removing Congress sympathisers from the list in collusion with the CPM.

The panchayat secretary, however, clarified that it was a clerical error that occurred during bulk data entry and said steps have been taken to include Joseph’s name back in the voters’ list.