Prior to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Janata Dal (Secular) joined the BJP-led NDA and formed an alliance with the saffron party. The two parties anticipate to disclose the seat-sharing formula after the Dussehra festival next month.
The National Democratic partnership (NDA) will be strengthened by the partnership, according to the BJP, which claimed that it will improve its chances of winning the Lok Sabha elections. The pact was formed just months after the Congress drove the BJP out of its sole southern stronghold in the May Assembly elections.
The JD(S), led by former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, announced that it has formally joined the NDA and asserted that it has partnered with the saffron party to take on the Congress in Karnataka in the Lok Sabha elections. This comes as the BJP tries to recalibrate its electoral strategy in various states in the lead-up to both the upcoming Assembly elections in five States and the next general election.
The regional party has significant sway in the southern regions of the state, where the saffron party has historically struggled, and the BJP believes a coalition with the JD(S) will secure its dominance in Karnataka in the Lok Sabha elections of 2024. Basavaraj Bommai, a BJP leader and former chief minister, claimed the new alliance will be a “political game changer” in Karnataka.
After meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP President J P Nadda for 45 minutes at Shah’s residence in the nation’s capital, JD(S) leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and the alliance were officially announced.
“I am happy that JD(S) has decided to be the part of National Democratic Alliance. We wholeheartedly welcome them in the NDA. This will further strengthen NDA and vision of Hon PM Narendra Modi Ji for ‘New India, Strong India’,” Nadda posted on X after the meeting.
“I warmly welcome JD(S) to the NDA family. Their association will lead Karnataka on the path of development and pave the way for a stronger NDA and a stronger India,” he posted on X.
At Shah’s home, Kumaraswamy spoke with reporters and said, “Today we have formally joined the NDA. We have banded together to fight Congress. In the state, Congress is engaging in corruption. It serves to undermine farmers’ interests. We have allied with the NDA to oppose the Congress.
“There is a positive response from both sides,” he remarked in reference to seat sharing. Seat sharing isn’t a major problem. Given that both parties are in favour, we will resolve this matter.
