Thiruvananthapuram: The Central Election Commission's decision in favour of the Jose K Mani faction in the Kerala Congress dispute has put the PJ Joseph group in a big crisis.
The UDF leadership, which has been supporting the Joseph faction, has also now found itself in trouble, forcing the leadership to postpone a meeting scheduled for Thursday.
The meaning of judgment
With the Jose K Mani faction being recognised as the official Kerala Congress (M) party, the PJ Joseph faction, including the three MLAs from the group and local representatives, will effectively be subject to the whip and instructions issued by the Jose K Mani faction.
The Joseph faction could be in trouble if the Jose group seeks its disqualification for not adhering to the whip to abstain from the Rajya Sabha elections held recently.
The Kerala Congress (M) gave the faction the symbol in the last election. If it leaves and takes another stand immediately or if it forms another party, then it can invite disqualification.
The figures that mattered
Even though a member of the election commission disagreed, all the observations of the final verdict were in favour of the Jose faction.
The total value of the party, including two MPs and five MLAs, is 19. Of these, the Jose faction got 16 points, while the Joseph faction got only three.
The commission examined a list of 305 out of the 400 members of the state committee provided by the two factions, excluding those whose membership is under dispute. Of these, 174 were found to be in favour of Jose, while the Joseph faction had the support of 117 members.
Both parties provided a list of local body members, but the State Election Commission was asked to decide on that list.
A blow to the UDF
The consequences of its announcement to expel the Jose faction for violating the understanding on the Kottayam District Panchayat president’s post has made the United Front leadership to sit up and think. The harsh tone of the announcement made the Jose faction to take an independent stand, even though the Front later said that the decision was only to exclude the faction’s leaders from its meetings. The faction demonstrated its independent stand in the Rajya Sabha elections.
The UDF leadership had threatened to take disciplinary action against the Jose faction for abstaining from the Rajya Sabha elections, but, now, with the group being given the tag of the official Kerala Congress (M), the front will not be able to do so. The UDF leadership is also facing criticism for placing too much trust on the Joseph group.
Under the changed circumstances, the demand to bring back Jose will grow stronger. The LDF, which has indicated that it is willing to accept the Jose faction, is also likely to take advantage of the new situation.
Commission confused by state committees list
New Delhi: The Election Commission decided to give the official Kerala Congress (M) status and the two-leaf symbol to the Jose K Mani group after looking at the number of MLAs and MPs and considering which group has the majority in the state committee. Although the strength of each group in the local bodies also should have been considered, the commission felt that would be impractical due to the lack of time.
While the Jose K Mani group argued that the party was split, Joseph argued that the dispute was only over the election of the chairman and since the matter was in court, the election commission cannot consider it. But the commission rejected Joseph's argument.
The decision was taken considering the state committee as the supreme organising body. However, neither group was willing to provide an accurate list of the state committee. Therefore, the commission asked the legal division director to look into the matter. The director reported that the possibility of fraud in the lists provided by the two groups could not be ruled out and that 305 names on both the lists could be considered. The commission accepted the report.
UDF wants Jose faction back
Thiruvananthapuram: The UDF wants to forget the transgressions of the Jose K Mani faction and include it in the front after the group was given the official name and symbol of the Kerala Congress (M) party.
MK Muneer will meet PK Kunhalikutty on Wednesday as part of his talks and efforts to bring back the Jose K Mani group. The Jose faction has also decided not to close the doors on the UDF.
The verdict of the Central Election Commission (CEC) in favour of the Jose faction in the dispute over the name and symbol of the Kerala Congress (M) has put the Congress in a spot.
The Congress had wanted the Jose faction to be expelled from the front after it abstained from the no-confidence motion against the government. The party has now gone back on that decision. In view of the new circumstances, the Front has decided to bring the Jose and Joseph factions together into the Front. Muslim League leaders will hold talks with Jose K Mani to work out a compromise.
The general feeling in the Jose group is that if it goes to the LDF, it will not get the representation it deserves in the Assembly elections. Therefore, it considers returning to the UDF on its own terms to be a better option.
The Jose faction also believes that a majority of those who had jumped to the Joseph group, including local government representatives, would return now that the Election Commission’s verdict has gone in its favour. If it sees any possibility of talks, the faction is also ready to abandon the move to seek the disqualification of Joseph's MLAs.
The Joseph faction is deeply dissatisfied with the UDF and the Congress changing their stand after the verdict. Although it has said it has no objection to the UDF holding talks with Jose K Mani, it has made it clear that it is not ready for any compromise. The Joseph faction is preparing to obtain a court stay as soon as possible against the Election Commission’s verdict.
