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.
Previoulsy, the decision of the JD(S) national leadership to support Ms. Murmu did not have a binding on the Kerala unit as the latter secured the approval of Mr. Gowda to vote for the joint Opposition President candidate Yashwant Sinha so as to stay unitedly with the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF).
Now, in the case of the Vice-President election, the State unit of the JD(S) appeared to be in an embarrassing situation unable to tackle the political crisis. As for the LJD, its leadership has decided to adopt a wait-and-watch policy on its planned merger with the JD(S) until the Karnataka Assembly polls early next year.
The JD(S) has two legislators and one of them is occupying a ministerial berth, while the LJD has a lone legislator in Kerala. The electoral college for the Vice-President poll consists of members only of the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, while the President is elected by MPs and members of State Assemblies.
Besides, political parties cannot issue a whip to their members to vote to elect the President and Vice-President. Incidentally, Ms. Murmu secured a solitary vote in Kerala where the NDA has no MLA.
