P J Joseph’s candidates may get ‘Tractor’ ride

T’puram: The 10 candidates belonging to the P J Joseph group contesting under the banner of Kerala Congress of P C Thomas can now contest on a common symbol. The candidates had requested the election commission to allot them the symbol ‘a farmer driving a tractor’.
Speaking to TOI, PC Thomas, whose party merged with the group led by Joseph, said the uncertainty over the symbol is over.“There was some uncertainty in getting the symbol in Changanassery and Ettumanur constituencies. Candidates of two registered parties too had demanded the same symbol in these constituencies. But for other reasons, the party nominations of these individuals were not accepted and they were told to contest as independent candidates,” said Thomas.
Since Kerala Congress is a registered party its candidates were given priority in the allotment of symbol over the independent candidates in these two constituencies. In the other constituencies no other registered parties have applied for the symbol which the candidates of Joseph group had chosen.
The candidates of Kerala Congress party are P J Joseph (Thodupuzha), Monce Joseph (Kaduthuruthy), Thomas Unniyadan (Irinjalakkuda), Jacob Abraham (Kuttanad), K Francis George (Idukki), Prince Lukose (Ettumanur), V J Laly (Changanassery), Kunjukoshy Paul (Thiruvalla), Shibu Thekkumpuram (Kothamangalam) and M P Joseph (Thrikkarippur). M P Joseph, a retired IAS officer, is the son-in-law of the late K M Mani.