The Full form of JDS is Janata Dal (Secular). JD(S) is a political party of India led by former Prime Minister of India, H. D. Deve Gowda. The party is recognized as a State Party in the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Arunachal Pradesh. The party was formed by the split of Janata Dal party in July 1999. JD(S) has a political presence mainly in Karnataka and in Kerala; it is a part of the Left Democratic Front. The JD(S) formed in 1999, had its origins in the Janata Party founded in 1977 as a coalition of various smaller parties that combined forces to oppose the INC (Indian National Congress).
In 1988, the smaller parties and the Janata Party merged to form the Janata Dal. In 1996, when H. D. Deve Gowda became Prime Minister of India, the party reached its pinnacle heading the UF (United Front) coalition government. On 14 April 2015, Rashtriya Janata Dal, the JD(S), Janata Dal (United), the Indian National Lok Dal, Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya), and Samajwadi Party, announced that they would merge into a new national Janata Parivar alliance in order to oppose the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), thus leaving the United Progressive Alliance (UPA).