Kerala: JD(S) to continue in CPM-led front, formal decision on Oct 7

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala's Power Minister K. Krishnankutty has stated that the JD(S) will not leave the ruling CPM Left Democratic Front in Kerala, despite the national leadership's decision to join the National Democratic Alliance at the centre.

Krishnankutty clarified that the JD(S) state unit has decided to continue in the LDF, even if it means working independently of the national line.  His statement comes after the state president, Mathew T Thomas MLA, made it clear that the party would continue with a secular democratic formation rather than joining hands with communal forces.

A formal decision on the issue will be taken at the state committee meeting of the JD(S) on October 7. The JD(S) has two MLAs in the 140-member Kerala Legislative Assembly. Although the CPM, which heads the LDF, is comfortably placed in the assembly, it does not want to lose even minor allies.

After the Pinarai Vijayan government came into power for the first time in 2016, the LDF made a conscious effort to bring even minor parties into the Left fold. That's why the LDF today enjoys a rainbow coalition accommodating parties with divergent political, ideological, and social positions.

Although the Janata Parivar thrived on anti-Congressism for many decades, many socialists and Lohiaites in Kerala say the biggest threat it faces now is from the BJP. Hence, they prefer a non-Congress-non-BJP platform like the Left Democratic Front.

The JD(S) Kerala unit faced a similar situation when the Karnataka unit of the party decided to form a government with the support of the BJP in 2006. However, a similar situation was avoided in 2018 when Congress decided to give support to Kumaraswamy.