The Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the broader Left movement in India are experiencing one of their most profound periods of introspection in recent history. From the lost bastions of West Bengal to the shocking defeat in Tripura, the party confronts a troubling pattern of declining influence and identity crisis.
The Bengal Collapse: From Dominance to Marginalization
West Bengal represents the most dramatic fall for the CPI(M). The party that governed the state for an uninterrupted 34 years from 1977 to 2011 now occupies merely a fraction of its former political space. The decline became unmistakable during the 2016 Assembly elections, when the party secured only 26 seats—a significant drop from 40 seats in 2011—despite forming an alliance with the Congress.
The extent of the organizational breakdown was highlighted when veteran leader Surjya Kant Mishra lost the Narayangarh seat he had held since 1991. This electoral disaster stemmed from a fundamental erosion of trust among the rural population that had been the bedrock of Left support for generations.
The party's early achievements in land reforms, particularly Operation Barga, had built strong grassroots support. However, later conflicts dramatically reversed this goodwill. The 2007 police firing in Nandigram, which killed 14 villagers protesting land acquisition for a chemical hub, became a turning point. Similarly, the Singur land acquisition dispute between 2006 and 2008 created a perception that the party had abandoned agrarian interests.
Strategic Missteps and Identity Crisis
The CPI(M) also grappled with an internal crisis of ideological clarity. While critics had long accused the Left of rigidity, Bengal's voters reacted negatively when the party appeared to dilute its core principles. The most prominent example was the 2016 alliance with Congress, which confused traditional cadres and supporters who had viewed Congress as their principal opponent for decades.
The electoral results reflected this discomfort dramatically. The CPI(M)'s vote share collapsed to 19.7%, while Congress increased its seat tally from 42 to 44. This contrasted sharply with Kerala, where the party maintained a clear ideological line and secured a decisive victory in the same year.
Tripura: The Shock Defeat of 2018
The CPI(M)'s defeat in Tripura in 2018 ended a 25-year Left rule and triggered intense internal debate about the party's political direction. The scale of the loss was staggering—the BJP, which had less than 2% vote share previously, swept to power while the Left Front collapsed despite securing 46% of the vote.
The Left lost primarily because the BJP built a strong anti-Left wave, captured anti-incumbency sentiment, and successfully mobilized tribal and Congress voters. The BJP's alliance with the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) helped it make crucial inroads among tribal communities, eroding a traditional Left stronghold.
This defeat sparked a major internal conflict within the CPI(M) about alliance strategies. Leaders aligned with Sitaram Yechury argued that the Left failed to unite anti-BJP votes, while the faction led by Prakash Karat maintained that the Congress had ceased to be a meaningful anti-BJP force.
Kerala: The Last Standing Fortress
Kerala now carries the burden of being the Left's last functioning model. However, even this stronghold shows signs of strain ahead of the 2026 Assembly election. The CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front achieved a rare second consecutive term in 2021, but faces significant challenges.
Strong anti-incumbency and governance fatigue have weighed heavily on the Left administration. After ten years in power, every price rise, job shortage, service gap or corruption allegation is directly attributed to the ruling government. This pattern was visible in recent Lok Sabha elections, where the Left performed poorly while the Congress gained ground and the BJP made significant inroads.
The party has attempted strategic adaptations in Kerala, including building closer ties with influential Hindu organizations like the Nair Service Society (NSS) and SNDP Yogam, often described as "social engineering" to strengthen support among Hindu castes.
Furthermore, the Vizhinjam port project has become a symbol of the Left's claim to be a "development-first" force that can deliver major infrastructure while maintaining socialist credentials. This represents a strategic shift where the CPI(M) demonstrates willingness to partner with big private capital, betting that successful projects will shore up its legitimacy as a modern, growth-oriented government.
As the Indian Left confronts this critical juncture, the fundamental question remains whether communist parties can reinvent themselves while staying true to their ideological roots, or whether they will continue their downward trajectory in a rapidly changing political landscape.
