Set for the seat-sharing tie-up with the BJP in Karnataka for 28 parliamentary seats, the Janata Dal (Secular) on Friday joined National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The decision followed JD (S) leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah and party president J P Nadda.
After the meeting, Nadda said on X, “I am happy that JD(S) has decided to be the part of National Democratic Alliance. We wholeheartedly welcome them in the NDA. This will further strengthen NDA and vision of Hon PM Narendra Modi Ji for ‘New India, Strong India’.”
Headed by former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, father of Kumaraswamy, the JD(S) has long been a strong third player in the southern state where the Congress and the BJP have been the two main parties.
The regional party, however, suffered a sharp decline in the recent assembly polls in the state in the Congress scored a big win, reducing the BJP to a distant third.
JD(S) is demanding six seats of 28 Lok Sabha seats while BJP is agreeing to four. BJP had won 25 of 28 seats in 2019 Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka.