H.D. Kumaraswamy, former two-time Chief Minister of Karnataka and President of the Janata Dal (Secular) [JD(S)], has joined the Union Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This marks the first entry of the JD(S) into the Union Cabinet in its current form. Historically, figures from the party’s previous incarnation, the Janata Party, held Union Cabinet positions during the tenures of H.D. Deve Gowda and I.K. Gujral from 1996-98.
The JD(S) aims to regain its influence and strongholds in Karnataka amidst challenges from the Congress and BJP. The party's decision to join the NDA is a strategic move following significant losses to the Congress in the 2023 state assembly elections. Historically, the JD(S) has not formally allied with national coalitions; it remained unaffiliated during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s NDA government in 1999 and Manmohan Singh’s UPA governments from 2004 to 2014. In 2018, the JD(S) formed a short-lived alliance with the Congress in Karnataka after a fractured verdict, which collapsed as the BJP surged in subsequent elections.
The JD(S) patriarch, H.D. Deve Gowda, emphasized that the Congress, which won only 99 out of 543 seats in the last Lok Sabha elections, will face consequences for its “arrogance and negativity.” In Karnataka, the Congress secured 9 out of 28 Lok Sabha seats, while the BJP won 17, and the JD(S) managed to win 2 out of the three seats it contested.
As Kumaraswamy joins the Modi-led Union Cabinet, the JD(S) is focused on reclaiming lost ground in Karnataka, positioning itself against both Congress and BJP in the lead-up to future electoral battles.
