Polls to five assembles crucial for Left as it eye Kerala hat-trick, Bengal revival

New Delhi: The announcement of the poll schedule for five assemblies has set the stage for a crucial electoral test for Left parties, which are aiming to retain their lone governing stronghold in Kerala, while attempting to regain lost political ground in West Bengal.

Leaders of the Left parties said the elections were significant both for defending their existing bases and rebuilding organisational strength in regions where their influence has declined over the past decade.

CPI(M) General Secretary M A Baby said the Left was organisationally and politically prepared for the polls, particularly in Kerala, where the Left Democratic Front (LDF) is seeking a third consecutive term in office.

"We are fully prepared, organisationally and politically. In Kerala, we have CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front. Allocation of 99 per cent of seats has already been completed. We hope we will be able to rewrite the political history of Kerala with the CPI(M) winning a third consecutive term," he said.

Baby said the LDF government's "remarkable and unparalleled achievements" have strengthened its poll prospects in the state.

"Kerala is the only state where extreme poverty has been completely eradicated. This is also the only state where no communal riots have taken place," he said.

Baby exuded confidence that in Tamil Nadu, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led alliance, of which the Left parties are a part, was expected to return to power with a strong mandate.

"In Puducherry, our aim would be to defeat the BJP-led government," he added.

Baby acknowledged that the Left Front had suffered setbacks in West Bengal, but said the parties were aiming for a revival.

"In West Bengal, the Left Front had to suffer some decline. We don't have a representative in the legislative assembly. This time, we hope, we will be able to make a significant improvement in the performance of the Left," he said. "If we are successful in convincing a substantial section of people, we can make a comeback. But we will have to wait and see." He said issues affecting workers, agricultural labourers and women would shape the political climate in the state.

Referring to Assam, Baby alleged the BJP government's policies alienated the minorities. He hoped that the broad political arrangement against the BJP and its allies would be able to make some substantial advances.

Echoing similar sentiment, CPI general secretary D Raja said the five assembly elections were "politically crucial" and alleged that the removal of voters during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls had raised serious questions about the electoral process.

"The Election Commission of India is constitutionally mandated to conduct free and fair elections and ensure a level playing field for all political parties. This fairness has been visibly absent for some time now," he claimed.

Raja claimed that millions of voters had been deleted from the electoral rolls across the five states. "Over 74 lakh voters in Tamil Nadu, around 58 lakh in West Bengal, about nine lakh in Kerala, nearly 2.43 lakh in Assam and more than one lakh in Puducherry have reportedly been deleted from the rolls." Despite these concerns, he expressed confidence that voters would deliver a decisive verdict this time.

"The people will deliver a decisive verdict. Kerala will return the LDF to power for a historic third term. The people of Tamil Nadu will reaffirm their trust in the Secular Progressive Alliance. In Puducherry, the corrupt and misgoverned NDA regime will come to an end," he asserted.

For the Left parties, the upcoming polls are particularly significant in Kerala, their last major bastion.

The LDF won the 2021 Assembly elections with about 45.3 per cent vote share, securing 99 of the 140 seats and becoming the first government in four decades in the state to win consecutive terms. In the 2016 election, the LDF had polled roughly 43 per cent vote share and formed the government with 91 seats.

However, the Left's performance has been weaker in the Lok Sabha polls.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Left Front won only one seat in the state and secured roughly 32 per cent vote share. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Kerala, the Left Democratic Front won one of the 20 seats and secured about 33.6 per cent vote share, while the Congress-led UDF won 18 seats.

In West Bengal, once the Left's strongest base, the electoral decline has been sharper. The Left Front secured about 26 per cent vote share in the 2016 Assembly elections, winning 32 seats. But in the 2021 Assembly polls, the Left-Congress alliance failed to win a single seat, with the CPI(M) securing around 4 to 5 per cent of the total votes polled.

In the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Left Front failed to win any seat in West Bengal.