BJP Seal On EC Letter

The letter, which featured the BJP Kerala unit’s seal, was widely shared online before the EC clarified it was a “purely clerical error” and withdrew it. Citing provisions of the 2000 Information Technology Act and the 2021 IT Rules, the police invoked their authority to order intermediaries like social media platforms to remove the content.

With the Model Code of Conduct in place ahead of the upcoming assembly polls, the Kerala police are reporting to the Election Commission. In its order, the police alleged that the posts “blatantly insult” the Election Commission and “propagate content that undermines communal harmony.”

They said the post in question is not only a direct affront to a respected national institution but also poses a serious threat to public order by inciting division and hostility.

The Election Commission of India has suspended an assistant section officer following a controversy over a letter from the EC carrying the Kerala BJP unit’s seal that surfaced online. The EC described it as a “purely clerical error” caused by an oversight while circulating a document submitted by a party, adding that the mistake was detected and corrected immediately.

For clarification, the Chief Electoral Officer, Kerala, said the BJP Kerala Unit had recently approached the CEO's office seeking clarification on the 2019 guidelines regarding the publication of candidates' criminal antecedents. Along with their request, the party submitted a photocopy of the original 2019 directive. The party's seal was on the specific copy they provided.

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 guidelines in question have undergone revisions since 2019, which have already been communicated to all political entities.

The CEO 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.

The withdrawal notice was dispatched to all political parties, district election officers and returning officers.

The CEO appealed to the public and media to refrain from spreading misleading messages based on the 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.

The CPM was the first political party to spot the error, and, seeing it as confirmation of its repeated allegation that the EC follows the BJP’s diktat, quickly took to social media to highlight the issue. A post on the CPM’s X handle read: “Have all pretences been dropped by the BJP? It’s 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 CPM post said, “Just like the old allegation that no matter which button you press, the lotus appears, here comes another coincidence.” They added, “This is a first. We’ve often heard claims that no matter which button is pressed on a voting machine, the lotus lights up. But this is the first time it seems the BJP and the Election Commission are using the same seal.”