EC round with BJP seal? Poll panel calls it ‘clerical error’ in clarification

this election committee Accusing the EC of a clerical error in a letter bearing the BJP seal. The EC issued an official clarification saying that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) submitted a document bearing the party’s seal as part of its request for clarification regarding the publication of guidelines on criminal record of candidates in 2019. It said due to the office’s oversight, the same document was sent to other parties for the same clarification.The response was attached in the form of an affidavit in a letter dated March 19, 2019, which was circulated to various political parties in Kerala and bore the seal of the BJP. The CPI(M) in Kerala shared a picture of the letter, accusing the EC of being controlled by the same political forces. It also added a scathing comment that the party should at least have the “decency to maintain separate desks”The CPI(M) posted onIt further commented on the presence of the BJP seal in the affidavit and compared the incident with previous allegations of EVM tampering, saying: “The seals were exchanged haphazardly. The Election Commission letter had the BJP’s seal on it! Just like the old allegation – that no matter which button you press, the lotus appears – here is yet another ‘coincidence’.” Shouldn’t someone be paying attention? “It also added proper verification of the incident, saying: “The document has been received by multiple parties. It has been cross-verified with at least two recipients. It was also confirmed that the email came from an official source at the Electoral Commission.”In response to the post, the Election Commission issued an official clarification on the matter. It said it acknowledged circulation errors that occurred due to clerical errors. “It has come to our attention that a letter from the Election Commission with the seal of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is being circulated among various Malayalam news channels,” the statement said. The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) hereby clarifies that this was purely a clerical error which was immediately discovered and corrected.“It gave a full account of the incident, stating, “The BJP’s Kerala unit recently contacted the CEO’s office seeking clarification on the 2019 guidelines on publishing criminal records of candidates. Along with the request, the party also submitted a copy of the original 2019 guidelines. The specific copies they provided had the party’s seal on them. ““Due to an oversight, the office failed to note the party logo on the submitted document and inadvertently redistributed it to other parties as part of a request for clarification. The relevant guidance has been revised since 2019 and has been communicated to all political entities,” it added.According to the statement, the deputy CEO has withdrawn the erroneous document as well as a formal letter.“The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer admitted the error immediately upon discovery. As a result, on March 21, the Deputy Chief Electoral Officer issued a formal letter withdrawing the erroneous document. Notices of withdrawal were sent to all political parties, regional electoral officers and electoral officers.”It further urged not to sow further confusion and claimed that the committee remained free from any external interference. “The public and media are requested not to spread misleading information on the basis of this instrument. The Election Commission maintains a strict and foolproof system to ensure that the electoral process is free from any external interference or influence,” it said.Kerala is scheduled to go to the polls in the first phase on April 9 and counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.