JD(s) Formally Joins The NDA Ahead Of The 2024 LS Elections

The Janata Dal (Secular) (JDS), a regional political party, formally joined the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), a coalition of political parties led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on Friday. The announcement was made after a meeting between former Karnataka Chief Minister and JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi.

"Today formally we discussed about joining hands with the BJP. We've discussed the preliminary issues formally...There is no demand (from our side).", said HD Kumaraswamy after the meeting as quoted by news agency ANI.

BJP president JP Nadda and Goa CM Pramod Sawant were also a part of the meeting. Reportedly, Pramod Sawant has been the main reason for JD(S) joining the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Once the alliance was finalised, JP Nadda posted on social media saying, "Met former chief minister Karnataka and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy in the presence of our senior leader and home minister Amit Shah. I am happy that JD(S) has decided to be (the) part of the National Democratic Alliance. We wholeheartedly welcome them in the NDA..."

It must be noted that in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the JD(S) had formed an alliance with the Congress; however, this alliance suffered a major setback as the BJP secured a resounding victory, winning 25 out of the 28 seats in Karnataka. Additionally, an independent candidate backed by the BJP emerged victorious in the Mandya constituency.

The JD(S) has a history of collaborating with both the BJP and the Congress in Karnataka. Notably, during the United Front government led by H. D. Deve Gowda at the center, it received support from the Congress.

In the recent Assembly elections held in May, the JD(S) managed to secure 19 seats, marking its poorest performance in history. Interestingly, the party was not invited either to the NDA meeting in Delhi or the meeting of the Opposition-INDIA bloc in Bengaluru in July.