As minor socialist parties, the Janata Dal (Secular) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI-M]-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) are likely to play a crucial role in the local body election, despite their geographic and demographic limitations.
Although the share of seats won by the JD(S) and the RJD (earlier the Loktantrik Janata Dal {LJD}) remains small, their ability to influence close contests at the local level make their position more than just symbolic for the broader Left alliance.
In the 2020 local body elections, the LJD had secured 1.4% of the popular votes and a small share of seats, particularly in the northern districts. In October 2023, the LJD led by M.V. Shreyamskumar merged with the RJD in a move intended to be a State-level unit of the party so as to get more prominence in the LDF.
The JD(S) could garner only 0.83% of the vote in 2020, also winning a limited number of seats, mainly in their pocket boroughs. However, the party holds two Assembly seats and maintains a ministerial berth in the LDF government, despite its national leadership’s alliance with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. This has also created ideological tensions within the Left coalition and criticism from the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF).
