The Janata Dal (Secular), which won just two Lok Sabha seats in 2014, is aiming to improve its vote share in the forthcoming general elections, having struck up a seat-sharing arrangement with the Congress.
The JD(S) will contest in eight of the 28 parliamentary segments in the State. Also, looking to shed its image as a regional player, the party will try to spread its footprints in Arunachal Pradesh. It is likely to field candidates in a few more States. This is to augur well with the image of party patriarch and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, who has been trying to stitch up a pan-India alliance against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP.
Over the past year or so, Mr. Gowda has been speaking to regional leaders to bring about a broad cohesive alliance that can take on the National Democratic Alliance, and he has emerged as an important figure in these talks. If he is to play a role, he not only has to get a decent number of seats for his party, but also has to ensure a good showing by the JD(S)-Congress combine in the State.