At the cusp of a generational shift in leadership, and amid challenges from both within and outside for its identity, the Janata Dal (Secular) is celebrating its silver jubilee year- a rare achievement for a regional party in Karnataka.
The party was registered with the Election Commission of India on November 24, 2000.
Formed in ideological opposition to the Hindutva agenda of the BJP, when a faction of the erstwhile Janata Dal leaders desired to go with the saffron party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the JD(S) has had an inconsistent run over the two decades both in terms of ideology and electoral fortune. Ironically, the party is now part of the NDA fold.
Regional interest
The former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda with current Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who was then State president of the JD(S).
