‘Are you operating out of BJP’s office?’: ECI’s official letter with BJP seal goes viral, sparks row
An Election Commission of India’s (ECI) communique issued on Monday drew criticism from the opposition and social media users after it purportedly had a seal of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Kerala unit in it.
According to reports, the document in question was a 2019 ECI letter related to poll guidelines, which was recently circulated again to political parties. The controversy erupted on the final day for filing nominations for the April 9 Assembly polls in the State.
“Now, do you have any doubt that the Election Commission of India is nothing but a branch office of the BJP, working purely to ensure the BJP wins elections through fraud and manipulation?,” wrote a user on ‘X.’
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra wrote, “So @ECISVEEP in the past had courage to issue official letters with @BJP4India seal. Requesting Gyanesh Kumar to come clean with what all of us already know & issue further letters the same way. Democracy Zindabad!”
So @ECISVEEP in the past had courage to issue official letters with @BJP4India seal. Requesting Gyanesh Kumar to come clean with what all of us already know & issue further letters the same way. Democracy Zindabad! pic.twitter.com/7uNs0L0kMb
— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) March 23, 2026
The Kerala unit of the Congress also questioned the development, stating, “Dear @ECISVEEP, In a letter shared to by you to all states and UT the seal of @BJP4Keralam’s seal is found.Are you operating out of BJP’s office? How did you get access to their seals?.”
Dear @ECISVEEP,
— Congress Kerala (@INCKerala) March 23, 2026
In a letter shared to by you to all states and UT the seal of @BJP4Keralam’s seal is found.
Are you operating out of BJP’s office? How did you get access to their seals?
Or is it BJP’s letter to all Electoral Officers with your letterhead? Can you explain this? pic.twitter.com/15TSoBB2ey
“Why was the ECI circulating a copy submitted by the BJP at all? Didn’t the Commission have its own official copy of the guidelines?,” wrote another user.
“BJP seal on election commission of India (ECI) document. How many of you are buying this was a clerical error, as claimed, by the ECI?,” said another.
“It can’t get bigger than this, @ECISVEEP letter with BJP seal! Unholy relationship between BJP & Election commission is out in public now, they say it is a clerical error but how does BJP’s seal appear in EC’s office?,” wrote a third.
“A clerical error? You think Indians are fools? Elections have become a joke as they are conducted according to BJP directives and ECI doens't have any moral ground bcoz its sold out to BJP fully, completely and shamelessly. RIP Democracy!,” said another.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] also reacted, alleging that “seals are being casually swapped” and questioning whether “all pretences” had been dropped.
The party shared on its ‘X’ handle a copy of the March 19, 2019 letter bearing the BJP seal. The letter had been originally sent to Chief Electoral Officers of all States and Union Territories ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, outlining guidelines on the publicity of criminal antecedents by political parties and candidates.
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
‘clerical error’: CEO issues clarification
Responding to the controversy, Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U. Kelkar termed the issue a “clerical error” and said corrective steps had been taken.
In an official clarification, the CEO’s office said the BJP Kerala unit had recently approached it seeking clarification on the 2019 guidelines and had submitted a photocopy of the original directive carrying the party’s seal.
“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 statement said.
The office added that the error was identified and rectified immediately. On March 21, the Deputy Chief Electoral Officer issued a formal communication withdrawing the document, which was sent to all political parties, District Election Officers and Returning Officers.
The CEO’s office also urged the public and media not to spread misleading messages, stating that the Election Commission maintains a “rigorous and foolproof system” to ensure that the electoral process remains free from external influence.
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.…
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
