- By Shubham Bajpai
- Mon, 04 May 2026 03:19 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Besides deciding the fate of political parties in the states, the assembly elections this time brought a matter of concern for the entire Communist politics as CM Pinarayi Vijayan-led CPI (M) is set to lose its last bastion in Kerala, marking the first time in over five decades that the country will not have even a single Communist chief minister.
The Left bloc tasted power for the first time in Kerala, where the world's first democratically elected Communist government was formed in 1957.
The party didn't retain power in every assembly election since then, but managed to stay relevant and return to the helm on multiple occasions.
Left's peak in 2004 and decline thereafter
Despite alternative losses in Kerala, the Left remained in power in West Bengal and Tripura. In West Bengal, the Communists assumed power in 1977, while in Tripura it came to power in 1993.
The bloc reached its zenith in 2004, when all the Communist parties collectively won 59 seats in the Lok Sabha.
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During that time, the bloc had governments in Kerala, Bengal and Tripura and enjoyed significant influence in Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.
Since 2004, the Left has seen a political decline, not only in terms of ruling states but also in voter base and influence. In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, the bloc's tally dropped to 24, which further declined to 10 in 2014 and 5 in 2019.
Bengal in 2011, Tripura in 2018
Meanwhile, the Left's largest stint of 34 years in Bengal was ended by Mamata Banerjee's TMC in 2011.
The only major success they achieved across India was in 2016 when Pinarayi Vijayan rose to power in Kerala as CM.
After losing Bengal in 2011, Kerala became the second state with a ruling Communist government after Tripura. Two years later, the BJP shocked the Left parties by winning Tripura, dethroning the Communist government in 2018.
After 2018, Kerala was the only fortress left with the Communists, apparently CPI(M). The Kerala Assembly Elections 2026, therefore, were a do-or-die for the party, ideology's political relevance in India and its future.
As trends suggest, Congress-led UDF is set to unseat the Left for its last throne in India.