Kerala EC acts against officials over BJP seal error in official document

In a significant administrative action, the Election Commission has directed that a Deputy Chief Electoral Officer and a section officer in Kerala be sent back to their parent departments after an official communication mistakenly carried a political party’s seal.

Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U Kelkar took the decision following an inquiry conducted by Additional CEO P B Nooh, IAS , according to an official statement released on Saturday. Based on the findings, both officials were relieved of their election-related responsibilities with immediate effect.

The controversy arose after the CPI(M) flagged the issue on social media platform X , highlighting that an affidavit attached to a March 19, 2019 letter sent to political parties bore the BJP Kerala seal instead of the official seal of the Election Commission.

Responding to the allegations, the Election Commission described the lapse as a “purely clerical error” , stating that it had been identified and corrected promptly. The Commission also confirmed that the official directly responsible for the mistake has been placed under suspension .

The incident briefly stirred political attention in the state, raising concerns over procedural lapses in official election communications. However, the swift inquiry and disciplinary measures aim to reinforce the Commission’s commitment to maintaining neutrality and administrative integrity in the electoral process.