JD-S' Kerala unit in quandary as party in NDA, may merge with Samajwadi Party

Thiruvananthapuram: The JD-S' Kerala unit, which is an ally of the ruling Left but has been served an ultimatum by the CPI-M to decide their future course as their national party is in the NDA, will meet on Tuesday to decide the issue.

Even though this issue has been going on since the run-up to the Lol Sabha polls, things took a fresh turn when senior JD-S leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy was sworn in as a Union Minister.

Another Left ally - the RJD's state unit slammed the dual "citizenship" of the state JD-S, which has two legislators - Electricity Minister K. Krishnankutty and former State Minister Mathew T. Thomas.

While its parent party in Karnataka saw former Union Minister C.M. Ibrahim form a new faction after his ouster by party chief and former Prime Minister H.D. Deva Gowda over the alliance with the BJP, and former Kerala legislator C.K. Nanu and his faction joining it, Krishnankutty and Thomas are playing their cards cautiously as any wrong move could invite disqualification.

They are said to have spoken to Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav who is understood to have given the nod for them to join his party. Tuesday’s meeting would indicate what the JD-S in the state would do.