KOTTAYAM : During the merger of the Kerala Congress with the Kerala Congress (M) in May 2010, KC (M) patriarch K M Mani insisted on the chairman post for his faction. He made this decision to ensure that his party would not lose the ‘two leaves’ symbol in the event of a future split. Mani’s reasoning behind this was due to the fact that he had lost the Kerala Congress’ official symbol, ‘horse’, during a previous split in 1989. In that split, the P J Joseph faction secured the symbol as Joseph was the party chairman.
Despite Mani’s efforts to protect the ‘two leaves’, his son Jose K Mani had to field a candidate using a different symbol in the byelection held in Pala in September 2019, following Mani’s passing. This was because of the acute infighting in the party after Mani’s demise. KC (M) working chairman P J Joseph, who was the then party chairman, refused to grant the ‘two leaves’ to Jose Tom, the UDF candidate backed by Jose K Mani. Later, KC (M) experienced a vertical split, leading to months of legal battles. Eventually, Jose was able to secure ‘two leaves’ in time for the LSG elections in December 2020.
As Kerala gears up for another election, symbol has become a focal point in the ongoing battle between the different factions of the KC in the Kottayam constituency. This time, the Joseph and Mani factions (now led by Jose K Mani) are directly competing in the constituency, with the election symbol playing a crucial role in the contest.
To gain an advantage, LDF candidate Thomas Chazhikadan of the KC (M) is heavily emphasising their symbol - two leaves - in his campaign. The symbol has been prominently featured on wall writings, posters, and social media.
“The KC (M) has been participating in all elections since 1987 under the symbol of ‘two leaves’. This symbol was chosen and popularised by Mani sir, creating an emotional attachment with the people. Despite attempts by the Joseph faction to claim the symbol while Mani sir was alive and after his passing, the ‘two leaves’ remains a symbol of recognition for the KC (M),” said Jose K Mani, chairman of the party.
Meanwhile, leaders from the Joseph faction have accused KC(M) of downplaying the ‘LDF’ in their campaign and using ‘two leaves’ to deceive voters. They claim that the LDF candidate is not seeking votes legitimately, but rather, manipulating them with the symbol. “The two leaves symbol has been associated with the UDF for many years, and the KC (M) is now trying to create a false impression among voters that it is still affiliated with the UDF to gain votes,” said Joseph M Puthusseri, general secretary of the Kerala Congress.
The Joseph faction believes that the symbol will not have a significant impact, as anti-incumbency will play a more crucial role in the election. “If a symbol alone could guarantee a candidate’s victory, Jose K Mani would not have tasted defeat in Pala in the 2021 assembly elections,” said E J Augusthy, a senior Kerala Congress leader and UDF Kottayam district chairman.
Tale of Kerala Congress symbols
1964 : The party was formed with ‘horse’ as symbol
1979 : K M Mani and P J Joseph split for the first time. Mani gets ‘horse’ while Joseph gets ‘elephant’
1985 : Mani, Joseph groups merge. After a draw of lots, ‘horse’ becomes party symbol
1987: Mani, Joseph factions split again. Joseph gets ‘horse’ as he was party chairman. Mani selects ‘two leaves’
1990: Joseph loses ‘horse’ after Election Commission bans using animals as symbol. Party gets ‘cycle’ instead
2009: Mani, Joseph reunite, ‘two leaves’ continues to be the election symbol of united KC(M)
2019: Infighting in KC(M) following the demise of K M Mani. Joseph denies ‘two leaves’ to UDF candidate backed by Jose K Mani faction
2020: KC(M) splits and Jose-led faction crosses over to the LDF. Election Commission recognises Jose faction as the original KC(M) and allocates ‘two leaves’ to it