New Delhi: Karnataka’s Janata Dal (Secular) party on Friday, September 22 joined the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president J.P. Nadda announced the move on X (formerly Twitter).
“I am happy that JD(S) has decided to be the part of National Democratic Alliance. We wholeheartedly welcome them in the NDA,” Nadda said.
Met Former Chief Minister of Karnataka and JD(S) leader Shri H.D. Kumaraswamy in the presence of our senior leader and Home Minister Shri @AmitShah Ji.
I am happy that JD(S) has decided to be the part of National Democratic Alliance. We wholeheartedly welcome them in the NDA.… pic.twitter.com/eRDUdCwLJc— Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) September 22, 2023
The move comes a day after H.D. Deve Gowda and his son H.D. Kumaraswamy met Union home minister Amit Shah and Nadda in parliament.
JD(S) was founded by Gowda, who served as prime minister from June 1996 to April 1997.
During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the JD(S) was in an alliance with the Congress party. They were jointly running a coalition government in Karnataka under the leadership of chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy.
The Congress and the JD(S) had won one seat each in Karnataka. The BJP swept the polls in the state by winning 25 seats.
The talks about a possible alliance between the BJP and the JD(S) were ongoing since the Congress scored a decisive victory in the Karnataka assembly elections earlier this year. Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had even clarified that there was no scope for a coalition government with the H.D. Kumaraswamy’s party.
The JD(S) is seen as a strong third player in Karnataka where the BJP and the Congress are the main political parties.
Sources had told India Today that the JD(S) is expected to contest in four Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka, which has a total of 28 constituencies.