JD(S) Tweaking Poll Strategy To Focus On Core Vote Base After Alliance With BJP In Karnataka?

The recent alliance between the Janata Dal (Secular) ( JD(S)) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka has triggered a wave of resignations among prominent Muslim leaders within the JD(S).

With the JD(S) opting to join forces with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), senior Muslim leaders, including figures like Syed Shafiullah, who held the position of senior state vice-president within the party, have tendered their resignations.

This move has prompted discussions among more Muslim leaders, who are now deliberating their next course of action at the district level.

While both the BJP and the JD(S) harbour great expectations for this partnership, the JD(S) has recaliberated its electoral strategy by concentrating on securing the Vokkaliga vote bank.

This shift comes in the wake of the party's prior attempts to woo Muslim voters, which proved fruitless in recent Assembly elections.

In stark contrast, the Congress managed to secure victories for nine out of fifteen Muslim candidates, while the JD(S) failed to secure a single win among its twenty-two Muslim candidates.

For the JD(S), aligning with the BJP represents a strategic manoeuvre aimed at ensuring the survival of a party rooted primarily in the Vokkaliga community.

This alliance serves the dual purpose of safeguarding the party's distinct identity and preserving its substantial Vokkaliga support base.

Political analyst Chambi Puranik underscores the pragmatic nature of the JD(S)'s decision to align with the BJP, considering its own political leverage.

While the BJP holds high hopes that this alliance could ultimately sway Vokkaliga votes in their favor, the actualization of this aspiration remains uncertain.

The fate of the remaining votes that continue to lend support to the JD(S), and whether they will transition their allegiance to the BJP, remains an open question.

This scenario gains complexity when one considers the historical dynamics of Vokkaliga vote transfers, particularly in light of the previous Congress-JD(S) alliance in 2019.