The Kerala Chief Electoral Officer suspended an Assistant Section Officer due to a clerical error that resulted in an official communication carrying the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seal being circulated. The incident caused confusion as a letter from the Election Commission of India with the BJP seal was shared on Malayalam news channels during election preparations.
The mistake occurred when the BJP’s Kerala unit sought clarification on guidelines from 2019 regarding the disclosure of candidates’ criminal backgrounds. In their query, the party included a photocopy of the original directive bearing its official seal. Unfortunately, officials overlooked the symbol, leading to the inadvertent distribution of the document to other political parties.
Upon swift identification of the error, corrective measures were promptly taken by the CEO’s office. The Deputy Chief Electoral Officer withdrew the erroneous communication on March 21 and issued a revised version to all relevant parties, instructing them to disregard the initial document. Kerala is set to hold elections on April 9 to choose 140 legislators from an electorate of approximately 2.72 crore individuals.
The upcoming election will feature a three-way competition involving the CPI-M-led Left Democratic Front, the Congress-led United Democratic Front, and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. Officials stressed that despite the incident, the electoral process’s integrity remains intact, as updated guidelines post-2019 had already been communicated to all stakeholders. The CEO’s office also called on the public and media to refrain from spreading misconceptions, emphasizing the presence of robust mechanisms to ensure a fair election.
