The Election Commission has found itself at the center of a controversy after a letter bearing the BJP Kerala unit's seal went viral.
The CPI(M) raised the issue on social media, 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.
However, the Election Commission downplayed it as a 'clerical error', saying the seal was 'purely a clerical error' and had been 'rectified immediately'.
The CEO's office explained that the BJP Kerala Unit had approached the CEO's office seeking clarification on the 2019 guidelines regarding the publication of criminal antecedents of candidates, and submitted a photocopy of the original 2019 directive with their party's seal.
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, and the withdrawal notice was dispatched to all political parties, District Election Officers, and Returning Officers.
The CPI(M) and the Congress have reacted sharply to the issue, with the CPI(M) calling it 'a serious institutional lapse' and 'a warning', and the Congress questioning the Election Commission over the issue.
