TNI Bureau: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has come under scrutiny after an official communication circulated among political parties in Kerala reportedly carried the seal of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), triggering a major political controversy.

Responding to the row, the ECI clarified that the incident was the result of a “clerical error” within its office. According to the Commission, the document in question was originally submitted by the BJP as part of its response to the ECI regarding compliance with guidelines on the disclosure of candidates’ criminal antecedents.

However, due to an administrative oversight, the same document—bearing the BJP’s party seal was inadvertently forwarded by the Commission to other political parties.

The ECI emphasized that the circulation of the BJP-sealed document was not intentional and did not indicate any bias or endorsement. It maintained that the lapse was purely procedural and occurred during document handling.

The incident has sparked sharp political reactions, with opposition parties questioning the neutrality of the poll body and demanding greater transparency in its functioning.

The controversy has once again brought focus on the credibility and institutional independence of the Election Commission.

The ECI has assured that internal processes will be tightened to prevent such lapses in the future