The original Janata Party (or Janata Dal, or Freedom Party. The 2nd is Hindi, the 3rd is English, the 1st is...whatever) was an alliance of five opposition parties of different hues (Socialists, Hindu Fundies, and a Congress splinter, basically) that fought the 1977 on a joint programme and managed to drive Congress from power for the first time.
It quickly faltered in office.
Since then, the Hindu Nationalists (hate that misleading phrase) have been going by Bharatiya Janata Party (Indian Freedom Party). The Socialist wings went by Janata Dal, and later split up several ways. The two main parties of that name, jointly referred to in Indian papers as the "Janata Parivar", are the JD (United), a BJP ally, and the JD (Secular), which refuses to ally with either BJP or Congress. (They are locally allied to the Communists in Kerala, btw.) JD (U) has more seats in parliament, JD (S) probably has more supporters.
And there's a number of smaller groups in the "Janata Parivar". The All India Progressive Janata Dal, or AIPJD for "short", was a splinter off the JD (U) that left the Vajpayee government midways through the last legislature, but faltered two months or so before the national elections because it's two best known politicians died (one of them, a respected elder statesman and former state PM of Karnataka, was in his 80s. The other one, the day-to-day chairman really, just toppled over from a heart attack at 60.) Most position-seekers in the party then fled the sinking boat, mostly joining the JD (S).
Thanks for enlightening me
Dave
