INDIA vs NDA: From BJD to BSP, these parties stayed away from alliances

As parties position themselves in alliances, some have opted to stay non-aligned. What are the compulsions and future of these parties? Aditi Phadnis investigates

The Congress and 25 other Opposition parties last week unveiled the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which now has 39 parties. Around 65 parties are in one or other alliance.
 

But some are not. And it’s for a reason.
 

Earlier this week, the Janata Dal (Secular), or JD(S), which is almost entirely Karnataka-based and is in the Opposition against a Congress government in the state, said it was ready to throw in its lot with the BJP.
 

However, this “offer” elicited no reaction from the BJP’s