Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda drove the tractor which was the then symbol of the Janata Dal (Secular) in 1999.
On the cusp of a generational shift in leadership and amid internal and external challenges to its identity, the Janata Dal (Secular) is celebrating its silver jubilee – a rare achievement for a regional party in Karnataka.
The party was registered with the Election Commission of India on 24 November 2000.
Formed in ideological opposition to the BJP’s Hindutva agenda when a faction of former Janata Dal leaders wished to go with the saffron party led by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the JD(S) has had an inconsistent run over two decades both in terms of ideology and electoral fortunes. Ironically, the party is now part of the NDA fold.
Regional interest
Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda with current Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who was then JD(S) state president.
On the plank of social justice and secularism and as an antithesis to the growing Hindutva politics, a party was formed with the promise of an alternative to national parties and the protection of regional interests. Its best electoral performance to date with 58 seats was in the 2004 parliamentary elections, which saw a fragmented mandate.
It originally formed a coalition government with the Congress then, but switched sides to be with the BJP. The current Union Minister for Steel and Heavy Industries HD Kumaraswamy became the Chief Minister.
While its number of seats dwindled over the period, the party formed a coalition led by Mr Kumaraswamy again with the Congress in 2018, despite winning 37 seats. Until the 2023 elections, when it won 13%, the party maintained a vote share of around 18% despite the reduced number of mandates. The party also fell victim to BJP-orchestrated ‘Operation Kamala’ twice in the state when its legislators jumped ship.
“It had a pan-Karnataka appeal for several years and the state needed a regional party. He could have filled that gap. The deal with the BJP in 2006 was beneficial and it is an alliance in 2023. Despite its debacle in 2023, the JD(S) could have tried to rise again. Maybe the next generation stood up to HD Deve Gowda and the next generation had courage. The leaders thought otherwise,” said A. Narayana, political analyst and faculty member at Azim Premji University. “It has now become a family party that appeals to Vokkaligas and is limited to a few districts.
A shrinking footprint
Nikhil Kumaraswamy assesses the preparations for the Silver Jubilee celebrations at the JD(S) state office in Bengaluru on Thursday. | Photo credit: special arrangement
Over time, the party’s footprint was reduced to the Old Mysore region and pockets of Kittur and Kalyana regions of Karnataka as leaders, many of whom had differences with party founder and former prime minister Mr. Gowda, left. Notable leaders who have left include incumbent Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
The JD(S), which reneged on its promise to hand over power to the BJP after 20 months in 2007, was also blamed for the BJP’s rise in Karnataka by giving it a “backdoor”. After the split of the original JD, many of the land-owning Lingayat community in North Karnataka gravitated to the BJP. On the other hand, the Muslims who supported the party started gravitating towards the Congress. Its restriction to southern constituencies started from the 2008 elections when the boundaries of the Assembly constituencies were redrawn.
Insiders say it was desperation to protect the party from breaking up under pressure from the Congress after the electoral battle, along with the growing threat of losing ground to the BJP in key districts, that drove the regional party to the NDA. As the party seeks to recover from its worst performance in the 2023 elections, it also suffered a huge morale blow after Prajwal Revanna, the grandson of the party patriarch, was arrested on charges of sexually assaulting multiple women.
“To revive the party, the leadership is trying to bring the party closer to the people. The party’s commitment to social justice and secularism is intact,” said YSV Datta, election committee president and a close associate of Mr. Gowda.
Third generation
As the group turns 25, third generation leader Nikhil Kumaraswamy is attempting to revive the party and only time will tell whether the party will regain its glory days or be absorbed into an alliance.
Published – 21 Nov 2025 0:11 IST
