E-Paper
JD(S) Kerala unit won’t join NDA, will remain with LDF: State chief
JD(S) Kerala unit president said the party’s state committee will meet on Oct 7 to adopt a formal decision in the wake of the national unit allying with BJP.
Kochi: The Kerala unit of the Janata Dal (Secular) will not join the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA in the state, confirmed the party’s state president.
The clarification came hours after senior JD(S) leader and former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy met BJP national president JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi. The regional party on Friday confirmed its alliance with the BJP for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
READ | JD(S) joins NDA after HDK meets BJP brass
Mathew T Thomas, MLA and JD(S) state president in Kerala, said, “There is no question of the JD(S) unit here joining hands with the NDA. It will remain with the Left Democratic Front (LDF). The party had earlier passed a resolution underlining that it would oppose both the Congress and the BJP. Our stand has not changed.”
He added that the party’s state committee will meet on October 7 to discuss the issue and adopt a formal decision in the wake of the national unit allying with the BJP.
READ | How will BJP-JD(S) alliance impact Karnataka?
The JD(S) has two MLAs in the state -- Thomas and K Krishnankutty who’s currently a member of the state cabinet as the power minister. It has been a part of the CPM-led LDF.
The regional party’s leadership in Kerala may merge into one of the Janata Dal factions if the national unit forces its hand to join the NDA, party leaders familiar with the matter said.
