E-Paper
BJP seal on Election Commission letter sparks controversy, poll body calls it ‘clerical error’
The controversy surfaced after CPI(M) flagged the issue, sharing an affidavit attached to a letter sent to political parties that bore the BJP Kerala seal.
The Election Commission found itself at the centre of a political controversy on Monday after a letter from the poll body bearing the BJP Kerala unit's seal went viral.
The CPI(M) raised the issue on the social media platform X, sharing an affidavit attached to a March 19, 2019 letter sent to political parties across the country, which bore the BJP Kerala seal instead of the official seal of the Election Commission. Later, the Congress also reacted sharply to the letter.
However, the Election Commission downplayed it as a “clerical error”.
EC calls it ‘clerical error’
Reacting to the development, the Election Commission said that the seal on the letter was "purely a clerical error" and had been “rectified immediately.”
"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," a post by Kerala Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) on X read.
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.”
Reactions from the Opposition
Earlier, 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 CPI(M) later reacted to the EC's clarification, saying that it wasn't an error but “a warning”.
“Clerical error,” they say. A BJP seal on an Election Commission document - reduced to a casual mistake and quietly withdrawn. This is a serious institutional lapse. When the line between the ruling party and constitutional bodies begins to blur, it is not an “error” - it is a warning. Elections are the backbone of democracy. Even one such “mistake” is one too many. Who is accountable?" the party wrote on X.
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 the BJP's office? How did you get access to their seals?"
"Or is it BJP's letter to all Electoral Officers with your letterhead? Can you explain this?" it asked.
