Thiruvananthapuram: The poll-bound state of Kerala witnessed an uncommon controversy Monday with the looks of the seal of BJP’s Kerala unit on an official Election Fee communication to political events. The matter has invited robust reactions from the Communist Social gathering of India (Marxist) and Congress, who’ve questioned if the election physique might be trusted.

Sustaining that it was a “pure clerical error” and that the letter had already been withdrawn, the Election Fee has suspended an officer on the state Chief Electoral Officer’s workplace.

“We now have typically heard claims that, irrespective of which button is pressed on a voting machine, the lotus lights up. However that is the primary time it seems as if the BJP and the Election Fee are utilizing the identical seal,” a publish on CPI(M) Kerala’s X account learn.

On Tuesday, the celebration reacted to the suspension of the officer and known as the difficulty a “critical institutional lapse”.

“When the road between the ruling celebration and constitutional our bodies begins to blur, it’s not an ‘error’—it’s a warning,” it posted.

“Clerical error,” they are saying.
A BJP seal on an Election Fee doc – lowered to an informal mistake and quietly withdrawn.
It is a critical institutional lapse.
When the road between the ruling celebration and constitutional our bodies begins to blur, it’s not an “error” – it’s a… pic.twitter.com/Dbbuqw15pV

— CPI(M) Kerala (@CPIMKerala) March 24, 2026

After the row erupted Monday, the ballot physique stated that Kerala BJP had approached the ECI in search of clarification of the rules concerning the publication of felony antecedents of candidates, together with which that they had submitted a photocopy of the 2019 directive. The photocopy had the celebration’s image, it stated.

“As a result of an oversight, the workplace failed to note the celebration image on the submitted doc and inadvertently redistributed it to different political events as a part of the requested clarification. The rules in query have undergone revisions since 2019, which have already been communicated to all political entities,” it claimed, including that the workplace of the CEO had issued a proper letter withdrawing the doc on 21 March.

Congress’s Kerala unit slammed the Election Fee, asking if it was “working out of BJP’s workplace”.

“How did you get entry to their seals? Or is it BJP’s letter to all Electoral Officers along with your letterhead? Are you able to clarify this?” an X publish by Congress’s Kerala unit learn.

Are you able to separate BJP from ECI? Such a wonderful mix. pic.twitter.com/qXEasiUgvu

— Congress Kerala (@INCKerala) March 23, 2026

Kerala goes to polls on 9 April.

Additionally Learn: Kannur row places CPI(M) in highlight: How immune is the Left to the dynasty bug?