Election Commission Communique Carries BJP Seal; Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Attributes It To A `Clerical Mistake'

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.”

The email with an ECI attachment carrying the BJP Kerala seal was sent on March 21, first to district collectors and later to political parties and leaders. When the EC mail made news channel headlines, Kerala’s Chief Electoral Officer, Rathan U Kelkar, stepped in. Kelkar called it a “clerical mistake,” claiming it was spotted on March 21 itself by the deputy CEO, after which communications were immediately issued to district election officers, returning officers, and political parties to withdraw the mail.

The CEO’s letter on March 21 stated that the letter had been withdrawn and “should be disregarded.”

So, how did the mix-up happen? Well, the CEO explained that a representative of the Kerala unit of the BJP had visited the CEO Kerala’s office in 2019, seeking clarifications on the FAQs issued by the ECI about the criminal antecedents of a candidate. Along with the application requesting clarity, the BJP delegation had also attached a copy of the FAQ, which carried the BJP Kerala seal.