The distinct likelihood of the national leadership of the Janata Dal (Secular) [JD(S)] favouring National Democratic Alliance (NDA) nominee Jagdeep Dhankhar for the Vice-President election on Saturday has not only put the Kerala unit of the party in a fix but also left the proposed merger of the Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD) with the JD(S) in a state of uncertainty.
The perceived bonhomie between the Central leadership of the JD(S) led by its president and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was witnessed when the party willingly chose NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu for the President election last month and earlier the BJP whisking away the fourth Rajya Sabha seat in Karnataka in June.
While the Opposition parties have announced Margaret Alva as their Vice-President candidate, the JD(S) seemed to have taken a different political path to support the BJP-led NDA in the Vice-President election like they did in the President’s election. This, despite the fact Ms. Alva hailing from Karnataka, party sources said.
