Kerala Election Official Suspended Over Controversial BJP Seal Incident

Suspension of Election Official

On Tuesday, the Chief Electoral Officer of Kerala announced the suspension of an official linked to a controversy involving an Election Commission letter that mistakenly featured the seal of the Bharatiya Janata Party's state unit. The assistant section officer responsible for handling the file has been placed on suspension while an investigation is conducted, as stated in a social media update from the Chief Electoral Officer.

The letter in question, dated March 19, 2019, was distributed to political parties nationwide, outlining the regulations concerning candidates' criminal backgrounds. This communication was accompanied by an email sent on March 21.

Upon the issue being raised, the electoral body clarified that the presence of the BJP seal was due to a 'purely clerical error.' The Chief Electoral Officer acknowledged the mistake promptly, noting that a formal letter retracting the erroneous document was issued on March 21.

The error arose after the BJP's Kerala unit sought clarification from the Election Commission regarding the 2019 guidelines on disclosing candidates' criminal records.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) in Kerala was the first to highlight this issue on social media, raising concerns about the casual swapping of seals and questioning the integrity of both the BJP and the Chief Electoral Officer.

Support for the CPI(M)'s claims came from the Congress and the Trinamool Congress, with Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra accusing the electoral panel of finally having the audacity to issue official letters bearing the BJP seal. The Congress party's Kerala unit also questioned whether the electoral officials were operating from the BJP's office, expressing concerns over how they obtained access to the party's seals.