Perturbed by the possibility of the Janata Dal (Secular) [JD (S)] national leadership backing the National Democratic Alliance’s candidate Droupadi Murmu for the presidential election on July 18, the Kerala unit of the Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD) has postponed its proposed merger with that party in the State.
Not only did the LJD leaders from the State miss a crucial meeting with the JD (S) national president and former Prime Minister H. D. Deve Gowda in Bengaluru, but they also cancelled a joint meeting of the State committees of both parties in Thiruvananthapuram last week. The meeting was to chalk out the merger plans and as well as holding a rally in Kozhikode in August.
A senior party functionary of the LJD told The Hindu that both the parties had agreed for a merger after several rounds of talks and negotiations, including sharing the posts of key office-bearers. ”Right now, our leadership is having second thoughts on the unification. We had common motives for the merger. May be, we will have to start the merger process from scratch,“ he said.
Incidentally the JD (S)‘s State unit secured the approval of Mr. Gowda to support the joint Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha so as to go in tandem with its Left Front partners in Kerala. “ We went ahead with the merger plans. It will be the responsibility of the LJD of taking the merger process forward,“ JD(S) State president Mathew T. Thomas said.
Meanwhile, the LJD leaders have decided to hold its State committee meeting after the presidential poll to take stock of the political situation. “It is unfortunate that a party State unit has to get an alternative consent from its national leadership against its political decision. In future, it will be more complicated if the JD (S) in Karnataka even decides to align with the BJP, “ an LJD leader said.
Last month the JD (S) had hinted that its 32 MLAs and two MPs would back Ms. Murmu despite being part of a motley group to field an Opposition candidate for the presidential polls.
Two days ago, Ms. Murmu, who is on a nationwide tour to mobilise support for her candidature had also met Mr. Gowda along with the BJP leader and Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai in Bengaluru. At the same time, Mr. Sinha, who had also visited the city earlier, did not meet Mr. Gowda .
In Kerala, the JD(S) has two legislators and one of them is occupying a Ministerial berth, while the LJD, has a lone legislator. Both are constituents are part of the 11-party coalition led by the ruling CPI (M)-led Left Democratic Front.
