NEW DELHI: The Assembly election results declared on Monday mark a series of historic shifts in the country’s electoral politics. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) registered a decisive victory in West Bengal, wresting the state once regarded as a bastion of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM). At the same time, the emergence of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in Tamil Nadu points to the arrival of a new political force in the state. However, the CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) losing power in Kerala is the most consequential development. For the first time since 1977, the communist party no longer governs any state, nor does any state have a communist Chief Minister.
In the first Assembly election held in Kerala in 1957, the Communist Party of India (CPI) formed the government, with E. M. S. Namboodiripad as the first communist Chief Minister in the country. It was also the world’s first democratically elected communist government. However, within two years, President’s Rule was imposed. In 1964, a split occurred in the CPI. Namboodiripad returned as Chief Minister when the CPM—the breakaway faction—took charge.
Since the 1980s, Kerala has traditionally alternated power between the Left Front and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) every five years, until the 2021 election. Pinarayi Vijayan broke this trend by taking oath for a second consecutive term in 2021. The CPM-led Left Front rose to power in West Bengal in 1977, beginning a historic electoral journey during which it ruled the state uninterruptedly for 34 years. Until 2000, Jyoti Basu remained at the helm, after which Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee took over and served as Chief Minister for 11 years.
Under the leadership of Nripen Chakraborty, the CPM-led Left Front first won the 1977 Assembly elections in Tripura and retained power in the subsequent elections. Although it lost power for one term, the CPM’s Dasarath Deb was sworn in as Chief Minister in 1993. Thereafter, the Left coalition won five consecutive elections. From 1998, Manik Sarkar served as Chief Minister of Tripura for 20 years, making him the longest-serving head of government in the state.
With the fall of the Left government in Kerala, coupled with a string of losses in West Bengal and Tripura over the decades, the CPM’s popularity appears to have reached a low point. Left politics, already in decline, has now hit an unprecedented milestone with the ousting of the LDF government in Kerala.
CPM General Secretary M. A. Baby termed the defeat a “serious setback” for the LDF and said the party would introspect on the reasons behind it.
“We assure that the party will take all necessary corrective measures and continue to struggle for the rights of the people and in defence of secularism and democracy. The upcoming meetings of the Polit Bureau and the Central Committee will undertake a comprehensive analysis and formulate a plan of action to meet the challenges posed by the new political situation emerging from the election results,” he said.
The election results in West Bengal, Assam and Puducherry show the ascendancy of right-wing forces led by the BJP, which is a matter of concern for secular, progressive and democratic groups.
Mr Baby further stated that, apart from anti-incumbency, communal and divisive politics had aided the BJP’s victory in West Bengal. “The BJP benefited from several factors, including strong anti-incumbency against the TMC government. Its divisive campaign, substantial financial resources, and the alleged misuse of Central agencies, including the Election Commission of India (ECI), as well as the SIR exercise, all contributed to its victory. Even in such a polarised situation, the Left managed to marginally improve its performance,” he added.
