CPI(M) Alleges BJP-ECI Nexus After 'BJP Seal' Appears On Election Commission Letter; Poll Body Calls It 'Clerical Error', Suspends Official
ECI said the error was rectified and the document withdrawn on March 21. It said all political parties, election officials and returning officers were informed.
Published : March 23, 2026 at 7:49 PM IST
|Updated : March 24, 2026 at 7:39 AM IST
Thiruvananthapuram: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Monday alleged impropriety after a document circulated by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to political parties in Kerala reportedly carried the seal of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), questioning the neutrality of the poll body.
In a post on X, the CPI(M) said the development raised serious concerns, remarking that "it appears as if the BJP and the Election Commission are using the same seal." The party claimed the document had been received by multiple political parties and verified by at least two recipients, adding that the email originated from an official ECI source.
Have all pretences been dropped by the BJP?
— CPI(M) Kerala (@CPIMKerala) March 23, 2026
It is 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.
Now even that seems unnecessary.
Seals are being casually… pic.twitter.com/MfMXNaXTgk
Responding to the allegations, Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U Kelkar termed the incident a purely "clerical error" and said corrective action had been taken.
OFFICIAL CLARIFICATION: REGARDING THE ERRONEOUS CIRCULATION OF ELECTION COMMISSION DOCUMENT
— Chief Electoral Officer Kerala (@Ceokerala) March 23, 2026
It has come to our notice that a letter from the Election Commission, bearing the seal of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is being circulated across various Malayalam news channels.…
In a press release, Kelkar explained that the BJP's Kerala unit had recently approached the CEO's office seeking clarification on 2019 guidelines related to disclosure of candidates' criminal antecedents. "The copy of the 2019 letter submitted by the BJP carried the party's seal. Due to an oversight, this stamped version was inadvertently circulated to other political parties instead of the official copy," he said.
The CEO added that the error was identified promptly, following which the Deputy Chief Electoral Officer issued a notice on March 21 withdrawing the document and informing all stakeholders, including political parties, district election officials and returning officers.
Kelkar also stressed that the Commission maintains a robust and "watertight" system to prevent any external interference in the electoral process, and urged the public and political parties to refrain from spreading misinformation.
Meanwhile, an Assistant Section Officer (ASO) in the CEO's office has been placed under suspension pending an inquiry into the lapse, officials said.
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