Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala faction of JDS would cut the connection with the ‘other’ JDS which is now an ally of NDA and would form a new party, said Mathew T Thomas MLA, state president, JDS, Kerala. “The Kerala faction doesn’t want to be known as a part of a party which functions along with the  BJP at the national level. The Kerala faction will continue to be an ally in the LDF,” he said. 

Though the Kerala faction of JDS looks like the same as the ‘other JDS’ in the records of Election Commission, it has been functioning for the last few months as a separate entity. But, this technical deficiency should be resolved and the state executive committee has decided to do it as early as possible, Mathew said. 

 “Naturally, the Kerala faction would be forced to leave out the name ‘Janatadal S. We have decided to initiate steps which would not restrict our existing party representatives in the assembly so that they could fulfill their responsibilities to the people who had elected them. We have assigned some people to register a new party under a new name. The Kerala faction would merge with that party. For this, we have to check the legal aspects too. But, if the national leadership would decide to cut their connections with the BJP, we would go with them”, he said. 

It is in the wake of the political stand taken by HD Kumaraswami, leader of JDS, to be a part of the NDA government that the Kerala faction has decided to move out from it. Congress and RJD had criticised the JDS for being a part of the power both at the center and in the state. CPM too had asked the state leadership of JDS to take a decision regarding this to end the confusion over the changing loyalties.