India, March 24 -- A political controversy broke out after a letter from the Election Commission of India surfaced online carrying the seal of the Kerala unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The development triggered sharp reactions from opposition parties, prompting the poll panel to issue a clarification.

The Commission described the incident as a "purely clerical error" and said it resulted from an oversight while circulating a document originally submitted by a political party.

The EC letter that triggered the row

It added that the lapse was quickly identified and corrected, and an Assistant Section Officer had been suspended.

The issue came to light after the Communist Party of India (Marxist) flagged the document on social...