'Clerical error'? BJP Kerala seal on Election Commission letter triggers row in poll-bound state

Thiruvananthapuram: A letter from the Election Commission was found carrying the seal of the BJP Kerala unit, prompting sharp reactions from the CPI(M) and the Congress, following which a political row erupted on Monday.

CPI(M) flagged the issue on social media platform X, sharing an affidavit attached to a March 19, 2019 letter sent to political parties in the country that bore the BJP Kerala seal instead of the Election Commission's official seal.

Reacting to the development, the Election Commission said it was "purely a clerical error" and had been "rectified immediately." In a strongly worded post, the CPI(M) said, "Have all pretences been dropped by the BJP?" It added, "It is no secret that the same power centre seems to control both the Election Commission of India and the BJP. Even then, at least maintain the courtesy of two separate desks." The party further alleged, "Seals are being casually swapped. A BJP seal on an Election Commission letter!" and remarked, "Just like the old allegation - that no matter which button you press, the lotus appears - here comes another 'coincidence.'"

The CPI(M) claimed the document had been "received by multiple parties" and "cross-verified with at least two of the recipients," adding that the email had originated from an official Election Commission source.

Responding to the controversy, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Kerala, issued an official clarification, stating: "It has come to our notice that a letter from the Election Commission, bearing the seal of the BJP, is being circulated across various Malayalam news channels. The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) hereby clarifies that this was purely a clerical error, which was identified and rectified immediately."

Explaining the sequence of events, the CEO's office said, "The BJP Kerala Unit had recently approached the CEO’s office seeking clarification on the 2019 guidelines regarding the publication of criminal antecedents of candidates. Along with their request, the party submitted a photocopy of the original 2019 directive. The party's seal was present on that specific copy provided by them." It added, "Due to an oversight, the office failed to notice the party symbol on the submitted document and inadvertently redistributed it to other political parties as part of the requested clarification." The CEO's office said corrective action was taken promptly. “The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer acknowledged the lapse as soon as it was detected. Consequently, on March 21, the Deputy Chief Electoral Officer issued a formal letter withdrawing the erroneous document," it said.

"The withdrawal notice was dispatched to all political parties, District Election Officers, and Returning Officers," the statement added.

Urging restraint, the CEO's office said, "The public and media are requested to refrain from spreading misleading messages based on this clerical error. The Election Commission maintains a rigorous and foolproof system to ensure that the electoral process remains free from any external interference or influence."

Meanwhile, in a post on 'X', the Kerala unit of the Congress questioned the Election Commission over the issue, asking, "Are you operating out of BJP’s office? How did you get access to their seals?" and added, "Or is it BJP's letter to all Electoral Officers with your letterhead? Can you explain this?"

(With PTI inputs)