Kerala Congress uses “Automokesha” as official election symbol

The Indian Election Commission has regarded the Kerala Congress as a state party and assigned it the Autorickshaw symbol.

Party Chairman and MLA PJ Joseph confirmed that this recognition was obtained after the party's performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections. Kerala Congress is a key ally of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), awarded Jose K in the Indian Election Commission.

Kerala Congress candidate K. Francis George used Autorickshaw Symbor to compete from Kottayam and win in previous Lok Sabha polls. After success, the party decided to use the symbol as its own.

The controversy over the party's official symbol can be traced back to the September 2019 Para by-election. The death of senior lawmaker and KC(M) chairman KM Mani, the by-election has resulted in a major rift within the party, spelled as a faction of Jose K. Mani and PJ Joseph. In the poll, Mr. Joseph refused to assign the party’s symbol to the candidate of the Mani Group, Jose Tom Pulikkunnel. As a result, Mr. Pulikkunnel had to use the “pineapple” symbol as an independent competition supported by UDF.

The symbolic dispute was brought to the Indian Election Commission and delayed through a legal battle, which was eventually settled to support the current arrangement.