Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala CEO Rathan U Kelkar has said that the EC is taking strict action against anyone violating the MCC or other election rules both in the physical space and the digital world.

The Chief Electoral Officer said that immediately after the elections were announced, it was made clear to all political parties and candidates that they shall abide by the Model Code of Conduct and "any violations will be dealt with strictly".

Kelkar said that an FIR has been lodged and an investigation is going in connection with the recent allegedly communal remarks by BJP's Guruvayur assembly seat candidate B Gopalakrishnan.

In the incident of a recorded LDF announcement being played in Perambra constituency accusing a UDF candidate of seeking votes on religious grounds, the Returning Officer has sought explanations from the LDF candidate, he said.

"Not only in the physical space, but in the digital world also we are taking action against people and any disregard for the rules and everything is being looked upon very strictly," he told PTI and emphasised that political parties and candidates need to comply with the MCC.

The CEO further said that the cyber police was also doing its patrolling quite well in the digital space and "anything warranting an action, will be acted upon immediately and the strictest of punishments will be meted out to the people who violate the rules".

On the 'BJP seal' issue, Kelkar said that it happened at the section level and that is why the official directly responsible was suspended and those in supervisory roles, a Deputy CEO and a section officer, were repatriated to their parent departments.

He said that neither he nor Additional CEO P B Nooh was aware of what happened because the file never reached them.

He further said that ideally important matters, such as sending notices or information to political parties, ought to have been brought to his attention before being sent.

"None of that was done. Therefore, we found that there was a bit of a supervisory lapse on the part of the Deputy CEO and the section officer and it was decided to repatriate them to their parent departments," Kelkar said.

The issue pertains to an EC document sent to political parties having the seal of the BJP's Kerala unit.

The controversy surfaced after CPI(M) flagged the issue on social media platform 'X', sharing an affidavit attached to a March 19, 2019 letter sent to political parties in the country that bore the BJP Kerala seal instead of the Election Commission's official seal.

The EC had said it was "purely a clerical error" and had been rectified immediately