NOISE WITH A PURPOSE: DEVE GOWDA RATTLES THE BJP–JD(S) EQUATION

 Deve Gowda has done what he has always done best—disturb a settled political script with a single, well-timed signal. At a moment when most assumed the Janata Dal (Secular) had irreversibly tied itself to the Bharatiya Janata Party, the JD(S) patriarch has introduced doubt, discomfort, and strategic noise. In Karnataka politics, that alone is an achievement.

For months, the JD(S) behaved like an extension of the BJP. It backed the Modi government on virtually every issue, inside Parliament and outside. H. D. Kumaraswamy’s induction into the Union Cabinet reinforced the perception that the party had traded autonomy for survival. The unspoken expectation was clear: a gradual merger, or at least permanent subordination, was inevitable. Gowda himself appeared to play the role of a bulwark for the BJP, even taking on Congress critics of Modi with unusual vigour.

Then came the disruption. Gowda’s declaration that JD(S) would not go with the BJP in forthcoming local body elections—and possibly even Assembly polls—hit like a political tremor. The immediate reactions were telling. BJP leaders in Karnataka rushed to reassure. Opposition leader R. Ashoka spoke of continuing cooperation. State party chief Vijayendra deferred the matter to the central leadership. These were not confident rebuttals; they were containment exercises.

This episode underlines a deeper truth. The BJP’s Karnataka unit does not control this relationship. Delhi does. And Deve Gowda knows it. By creating uncertainty at the state level, he has forced the BJP to look upward for direction, even as JD(S) reclaims relevance through unpredictability.

What explains Gowda’s move? The most persuasive reading is transactional. This is less about rediscovering ideological distance from the BJP and more about renegotiating terms. Reports that Gowda wanted Modi and Shah to project Kumaraswamy as a future chief ministerial face—an idea the BJP leadership was unwilling to entertain—fit neatly into this narrative. For the BJP, conceding such space to a dynastic regional party would undermine its long-term strategy in Karnataka. For Gowda, denial of that space reduces JD(S) to a disposable ally.

There is also the question of political identity. Complete absorption into the BJP would erase the Gowda family’s distinctiveness in Old Mysuru. That may be a price too high, even for survival.

For now, this is not a rupture. It is a pause, a prod, and a pressure tactic. Deve Gowda has reminded everyone that JD(S), however diminished, cannot be taken for granted. Whether this leads to a better bargain, a slow drift away from the BJP, or yet another tactical somersault remains to be seen. In Karnataka politics, when Gowda blinks, others are forced to watch closely.