BENGALURU: JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy will hold a series of meetings with the party leaders over the next few days in a bid to revive the party in the state.
JDS presently has 19 MLAs and 8 MLCs. Its lone Lok Sabha member is Kumaraswamy, who is a Union minister. Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda is in Rajya Sabha.
The party has some presence in Kerala - one minister and three MLAs.
Kumaraswamy’s focus would be to energise JDS for the upcoming ZP\TP and BBMP polls as well as the assembly elections to be held in 2028. The party is keen on contesting the polls in alliance with BJP.
Former JDS minister Bandeppa Kashempur said: “We are reviving as a party. In the upcoming elections for four seats in the Council we will strategise with the BJP. We will also strategise with them to do well in the upcoming polls in the state.”
Kumaraswamy is leading the charge where there have been challenges in the recent past and in core areas such as Hassan and Mandya where its numbers have come down.
Once dominant in Hassan, Mandya, Bangalore Rural, Ramangaram, Tumkur, Kolar, Chickballapur and Mysore, JDS will seek to regain lost ground in these areas.
Political Analyst BS Murthy said, “The party needs to assure its current MLAs that for the 2028 assembly polls, despite JDS going for an alliance with the BJP, they will be given tickets, especially considering the fact that the last time they had prevailed in triangular contests against Congress and BJP.’’
There’s growing unease within the party ranks over what some are calling the “shrinking of the JDS fortress,” as Congress and BJP are gaining ground. A string of recent setbacks, including scandals and defection of key leaders to other parties, have affected the party.
This revival push is not just about optics. It’s an effort to galvanise the cadre, reassure the base, and send a message: the JDS is fighting hard to regain its lost ground. For the JDS, it’s no longer just about winning elections — it’s about politically proving a point.