Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Saturday said the Janata Dal (Secular) joining BJP-led NDA will strengthen the alliance “not only in Karnataka but also in entire south India.”

The former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda-led party announced that it would ally with the BJP, following a meeting of its leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy with Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP National President J P Nadda.

Sawant was present during the meeting in New Delhi on Friday.

Talking to reporters in Goa, Sawant said the JD(S) joining the NDA is good news, which will further strengthen the NDA in the Centre, and it will go on to win on all Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka.

“This alliance will not only be beneficial for the NDA in Karnataka, but entire south India,” he said.

The JD(S) has long been a strong third player in Karnataka, where the Congress and the BJP have been the two main parties. The regional party came third in the recent assembly polls in the state, where the Congress scored a big win.

The chief minister also congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the passage of the Women Reservation Bill in Parliament and said it was a historic moment.

Thirteen seats will be reserved for women in the 40-member Goa legislative assembly, once the bill is implemented, he said.

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