KOCHI: The election of NDA’s presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu is a forgone conclusion. But, the presidential election has left two small parties in Kerala, both allies of the ruling LDF — Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD) and Janata Dal (S) — in a quandary.
The merger with JD(S) was proposed by the LJD state unit after several rounds of talks in the past three years and it was finalised recently. However, the party has been caught in a fix with the decision of JD(S) national supremo H D Deve Gowda to support the NDA’s presidential candidate. The national leadership’s move also put the JD(S) state unit, an ally of the ruling LDF, in a tough situation as the CPM and CPI have extended support to joint Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha.
The stage for the merger of both parties is all set with the sharing of the posts of office-bearers including that of its state president being finalised and a conference of amalgamation with a rally is slated to be held in Kozhikode in mid-August. As per the agreement, JD(S) state president Mathew T Thomas will continue as the president while M V Sreyamskumar will be elevated as national general secretary of the party. Ahead of the merger, the leaders decided to convene a joint state committee meeting of both outfits in Kozhikode on July 14.
However, the latest development in the presidential election has put everyone in disarray. LJD senior leader Varughese George has not concealed the “uncertainty” on the merger following the recent developments. “In the current political scenario, we cannot take a decision which supports the BJP. The saffron party’s fascist stand is more exposed recently in several instances. We are planning to convene the state committee meeting of our party and discuss the future course of action,” he said. The JD(S) leaders said they have not backtracked on the merger but the decision of Deve Gowda would be final.
MEET WITH GOWDA DROPPED
It was the LJD state leadership that took the initiative for the merger and held several rounds of talks with Deve Gowda and other leaders of JD(S) in the past three years. The JD(S) state unit has signalled positively to the merger as its leadership felt that the unification could strengthen the party in the state. To get approval for the merger, a joint committee of both outfits decided to meet Deve Gowda in Bengaluru last week. However, following the reports that JD(S) will extend its support to the former Jharkhand governor in the presidential election, the LJD leaders dropped the plan.