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.
