The Kerala leadership of the Janata Dal (Secular) [JD-S], led by its State president Mathew T. Thomas and its lone Minister K. Krishnankutty, will convene with the party’s national president and former Prime Minister H. D. Deve Gowda in Bengaluru on Sunday amid a political crisis brewing within the Left Democratic Front (LDF) due to JD(S) solidifying its ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Sources indicate that the Kerala unit of JD(S) finds itself in a precarious situation, with the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] demanding an explanation from JD(S) regarding its continued presence in the LDF coalition despite joining hands with the BJP in Karnataka for electoral gain.
This issue was brought to the forefront by Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V.D. Satheesan, who urged the CPI(M) leadership to clarify why JD(S), an ally of the NDA, remains within the LDF and the Cabinet.
Mr. Satheesan also pointed out that Left party leaders should address their anti-RSS stance only after expelling JD(S), which has aligned with the BJP.
Party sources revealed that the Sunday meeting will primarily focus on the strategy to be adopted by the Kerala unit to continue its political existence within the LDF and retain its position in the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Cabinet. Previously, the JD(S) leadership had advised the State leadership to maintain an independent stand, akin to distancing itself from JD(S) national leadership during its collaboration with the BJP in Karnataka in 2006.
There are rumours of JD(S) transferring the role of national president to Mr. Thomas to convey the notion that JD(S) Karnataka operates as an independent entity. Nevertheless, party sources maintain that if such a scenario unfolds, JD(S) would lose significance, especially given its leadership by a former Prime Minister as opposed to a legislator from Kerala, where the party holds only a minor position in State politics.
The JD(S) unit had no alternative but to form an alliance with the BJP to rescue the party in Karnataka, as many of its legislators reportedly threatened to leave. Following the 2023 Assembly polls in Karnataka, the party has 19 MLAs, a decrease from the 37 it had in the previous 2018 polls.
The JD(S) leadership believes that its alliance with the BJP could secure at least four to five seats in Karnataka in the Lok Sabha polls. However, this league has brought embarrassment to the LDF and may adversely impact the CPI (M)‘s prospects in the Lok Sabha elections, sources said.
