Kochi: In yet another blow to veteran leader P J Joseph, the Kerala High Court on Friday said the faction led by him cannot use the official name of the party -- Kerala Congress (M).

The high court corrected its earlier verdict allowing the Joseph faction to identify itself as Kerala Congress (M) - Joseph faction. The court issued the fresh order in a plea filed by Jose K Mani, who heads another faction of the party, challenging its order.

The court allowed Jose K Mani's argument that the election commission had allotted the official name and the symbol (Two Leaves) to his faction.

However, the court has retained its order allowing the Joseph faction to use 'Chenda' as a common symbol. It was allotted to the candidates of the Joseph faction in the ongoing local body polls in the state.

Joseph faction is part of the Congress-led UDF while Jose K Mani left the ally and joined the CPM-led LDF ahead of the local body polls.

The Kerala High Court had on November 20 dismissed a petition filed by Joseph challenging the election commission's order recognising the Jose K Mani faction as the official Kerala Congress (M) and allotting the party's symbol to it.

In a majority verdict, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra had held that the Jose K Mani faction was the Kerala Congress (Mani) and entitled to use its name and its reserved symbol Two Leaves" for the purposes of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.

The dispute in the party arose between vice chairman Jose and working chairman Joseph following the death of party chairman K M Mani last year.

The matter reached the poll panel late last year.

Challenging the EC decision, Joseph had submitted that Jose K Mani raised a claim that he was elected chairman of the party at a state committee meeting held on June 16 last year but a civil court held that the election was not, prima facie, valid.

In its order, the high court said, as both the lists produced by the rival factions were unreliable, the Election Commission proceeded to decide the numerical strength based on majority of members admitted by both sides.