In a significant political development, the Janata Dal (Secular) (JDS) has officially joined the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), ahead of the upcoming general elections. The announcement was made on Friday afternoon after a crucial meeting between senior JDS leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP President JP Nadda in Delhi. Details regarding seat-sharing arrangements in the southern state have not been disclosed at this point.
Mr. Kumaraswamy stated, “Discussions will continue regarding seat-sharing.”
Photographs shared on social media by Mr. Nadda depict the leaders engrossed in discussions, with another image capturing them standing united, draped in a ceremonial shawl.
“I am pleased that the JDS has decided to become a part of the National Democratic Alliance. We extend a wholehearted welcome to them. This collaboration will strengthen the NDA and align with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘New India, Strong India,'” commented Mr. Nadda.
Last week, JDS patriarch HD Deve Gowda had informed the media that he had initiated talks with senior BJP leaders in Delhi. He emphasized that his intention was not to seek the position of Prime Minister again but to preserve the JDS. He stated, “I saved this party even when HD Kumaraswamy went with the BJP…”
Mr. Kumaraswamy hinted, “More details will be revealed after Ganesh Chaturthi.”
Furthermore, he dismissed speculations suggesting that the JDS would receive four seats in the Old Mysuru region, where the BJP was perceived to be losing ground to the Congress in the May Assembly election.
The JDS and the BJP had previously formed a coalition government in 2007, which collapsed after 20 months due to disagreements, including Mr. Kumaraswamy’s alleged failure to fulfill a pact to share the Chief Minister’s post. In 2019, both parties allied with the Congress for the Lok Sabha election but faced a resounding defeat by the BJP, which secured 25 of Karnataka’s 28 seats.
News of the JDS-BJP alliance initially surfaced when senior BJP leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa revealed that the JDS would contest from Mandya and three other seats, anticipating that the alliance would help the BJP secure “25 or 26 seats.”
In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the JDS performed poorly, securing only one seat and approximately nine percent of the votes. While the results improved slightly in the recent Assembly election, where it obtained around 14 percent of the votes and 19 seats, this was a decline from the 37 seats it held in 2018.
In contrast, the BJP received 36 percent of the votes in the Assembly election and, crucially, dominated the state in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, prompting questions about the viability of this alliance.
However, as previously reported by NDTV, the alliance could still prove beneficial due to the JDS’s influence in eight Lok Sabha segments in the Old Mysuru region. These segments include Mandya, Hassan, Bengaluru (Rural), and Chikballapur, which were reportedly sought by the JDS as part of the alliance with the BJP. Among these eight segments is Tumkur, the seat contested and lost by JDS patriarch HD Deve Gowda in 2019.
Additionally, the JDS’s sway over Vokkalinga voters could strengthen the BJP’s position, as the Congress is believed to have made inroads into this traditionally BJP-leaning community.
