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).
Mathew T. Thomas, State president of the JD(S), says his party has not made any claim for additional seats as it is actively part of the Left Democratic Front now and is happy at retaining all the previously contested seats. “This time, we are giving priority to fielding youngsters as candidates. There is no point in boasting of strongholds in the State as candidates’ performance ultimately defines the victory,” he adds.
“The district-wise lists of candidates are yet to be finalised as discussions are going on. There are also women candidates,” says Mr. Thomas. He says several party candidates have won in challenging seats in previous elections despite the political nature of the constituency, which could be repeated this time as well. Twists and turns will be there at the time of declaration of the results, he says.
RJD secretary general (Kerala) Varghese George feels his party with its strongholds in the northern Kerala districts will be able to reiterate its prominence in the elections.
“Across Kerala, our candidates staged a good fight last time in 310 seats, covering grama panchayats, municipalities, corporations and district panchayats. Though there is no significant rise in the number of allotted seats this time, some additional seats sanctioned in southern Kerala considering our influence among underprivileged segments will definitely help us improve our tally,” he adds.
According to Mr. George, Kozhikode district continued to be RJD’s power house, where the party won 54 seats in the last local body elections. “Eramala grama panchayat was one of the local bodies where the party showed its might. This time, we are fielding altogether 60 candidates, including four for the City corporation, in Kozhikode district alone,” he adds.
Seat-sharing negotiations indicate both parties stand to gain compared to previous elections as they had been sidelined in the Lok Sabha polls in 2024. Both were refused any of the 20 seats.
Incidentally, the efforts of the CPI(M) leadership to unite the JD(S) and RJD, aimed at consolidating the socialist vote within the LDF, had failed due to historic rivalries and differing political strategies. As a result, both parties continue to operate independently with restricted influence outside their strongholds.
Quite often, the RJD leadership has expressed dissatisfaction at its exclusion from the Cabinet and the rejection of its demands for Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha seats. This has also created a latent discontent among the rank and file and affected the morale of activists during the campaign, sources said. However, RJD leaders have publicly reaffirmed their steadfast commitment to the LDF, rejecting reports of a possible coalition shift.
Overall, while the JD(S) and the RJD influence a section of votes in the State, these parties can sway results in tightly contested grama panchayats and municipalities.
As the elections approach, how the CPI(M) manages the demands of the smaller allies such as the JD(S) and RJD will be critical to maintaining coalition unity and will be key factors to watch for the LDF’s electoral prospects in the 2026 Assembly polls as well.
Published – November 17, 2025 09:37 am IST
