Amid attempts by the Janata Dal (Secular) to pick up pieces after its drubbing in the recent Assembly elections, rumours are again flying thick and fast about its possible future electoral arrangement with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The prospects of a poll arrangement between the two parties have frequently dominated the political narrative in the State since their 20-month-old coalition in 2006-2007. Before the 2018 Assembly elections, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had termed the JD(S) the ‘B team’ of the BJP. This resulted in a perceived loss of seats for the regional party as Muslims consolidated behind the Congress party.
The JD(S) has lacked a stable stance towards the BJP, which has always led to speculation of it having a “soft corner” towards the saffron party. Party leaders, though, vehemently deny having any truck with the BJP. Both within the legislature and outside, the JD(S) is seen to be constantly flipping its stance. It often sends confusing signals with its decisions, which party insiders say are dictated by the political circumstances of the time. This was more evident between 2019 and 2023 when the BJP government was in power in the State.
