‘Clerical error’: Kerala CEO suspends officer after ECI document with BJP seal distributed to parties

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has suspended an Assistant Section Officer following a “clerical error” that saw a document with a BJP seal mistakenly distributed as an official Election Commission communication.

In an X post, the office clarified that the error occurred when a photocopy of the 2019 guidelines submitted by the BJP, bearing their seal, was inadvertently redistributed to other political parties, prompting immediate rectification by senior officials in the office.

“The BJP Kerala unit had recently approached the CEO’s office seeking clarification on the 2019 guidelines regarding the publication of criminal antecedents of candidates. Along with their request, the party submitted a photocopy of the original 2019 directive. The party’s seal was present on that specific copy provided by them. Due to an oversight, the office failed to notice the party symbol on the submitted document and inadvertently redistributed it to other political parties as part of the requested clarification. The guidelines in question have undergone revisions since 2019, which have already been communicated to all political entities”, the Kerala CEO explained in an X post.

𝐀 𝐁𝐉𝐏 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫!

A letter sent by the Election Commission to political parties carried the seal of the BJP Kerala unit instead of the Election Commission’s seal.

Let that sink in.

Not a mistake, but a serious red… pic.twitter.com/eXSqartMLH

— Congress (@INCIndia) March 23, 2026

Emphasising that the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer acknowledged the lapse as soon as it was detected, it said that the Deputy Chief Electoral Officer issued a formal letter on March 21 to withdraw the erroneous document. Adding to the clarification, the Kerala CEO added, “The Assistant Section Officer dealing with the file in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer has been placed under suspension pending enquiry.”

Kerala, Assam and the Union Territory of Puducherry are all set to hold the 2026 Assembly Election on April 9 in a single phase, with counting of votes scheduled to take place on May 4. (ANI)