Left Democratic Front
The Left Democratic Front (LDF) also known as Left Front (Kerala) is an alliance of left-wing political parties in the state of Kerala, India. It is the current ruling political alliance of Kerala, since 2016.[6] It is one of the two major political alliances in Kerala, the other being Indian National Congress-led United Democratic Front, each of which has been in power alternately for the last four decades.[7] LDF has won the elections to the State Legislature of Kerala in the years 1980,[8] 1987,[9] 1996,[10] 2006,[11] 2016[12] and had a historic re-election in 2021[13] where an incumbent government was re-elected for first time in 40 years.[14] LDF has won 6 out of 10 elections since the formation of the alliance in 1980. The alliance consists of CPI(M), CPI and various smaller parties.[15]
Left Democratic Front | |
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_Logo.svg.png.webp){kind=logo} | |
| Abbreviation | LDF |
| Leader | Pinarayi Vijayan (Chief Minister of Kerala) |
| Chairperson | E. P. Jayarajan |
| Founder | P. K. Vasudevan Nair E. M. S. Namboodiripad |
| Founded | 1979 |
| Headquarters | AKG Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India |
| Ideology | Big tent Majority: Communism[1] Faction: Welfarism[2] Social democracy[3] Progressivism[4] |
| Political position | Centre-left to Left-wing[5] |
| Seats in Lok Sabha | 2 / 20 |
| Seats in Rajya Sabha | 7 / 9 |
| Seats in Kerala Legislative Assembly | 99 / 140 |
| Website | |
| ldfkeralam | |
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LDF has been in power in the State Legislature of Kerala under E. K. Nayanar (1980–1981, 1987–1991, 1996–2001),[16] V. S. Achuthanandan (2006–2011),[17] Pinarayi Vijayan (2016–current).[18] E. K. Nayanar served as the Chief Minister of Kerala for 11 years and later became the longest serving Chief Minister of Kerala.[19]
The alliance led by Pinarayi Vijayan returned to power in 2016 Assembly Election winning 91 out of 140 seats and further increasing its tally to 99 seats in the 2021 Assembly Election. Pinarayi Vijayan became the first Chief minister of Kerala to be re-elected after completing a full term (five years) in office after a historic election in 2021 where an incumbent government was re-elected for the first time in 40 years.[20]
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Current members
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History
Early years (1957–1979)
The political scenario in Kerala (1957–1980) was characterized by continually shifting alliances, party mergers and splits, factionalism within the coalitions and within political parties, and the formation of a numerous splinter groups.[25] 1957 Kerala Legislative Assembly election was the first assembly election in the Indian state of Kerala. The Communist Party of India won the election with 60 seats. The election led to the formation of first democratically elected communist government in India. A Communist-led government under E. M. S. Namboodiripad resulted from the first elections for the new Kerala Legislative Assembly in 1957, making him the first communist leader in India to head a popularly elected government.[26][27] It was the second ever Communist government to be democratically elected, after Communist success in the 1945 elections in the Republic of San Marino, a microstate in Europe.[28][29] The coalition politics of Kerala began with second election held to the state legislative assembly in 1960.[25] The Communist Party of India (Marxist) first came into power in Kerala in 1967, under Seven party front, which was an alliance of CPI(M), CPI, IUML, and four other parties.[30] In 1970's, the major political parties in the state were unified under two major coalitions, one of them led by Indian National Congress and Communist Party of India and the other by CPI(M).
Formation of LDF (1979)
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, two main pre-poll political alliances were formed: the Left Democratic Front (LDF), led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Communist Party of India and the United Democratic Front (UDF), led by the Indian National Congress.[25] These pre-poll political alliances of Kerala have stabilized strongly in such a manner that, with rare exceptions, most of the coalition partners stick their loyalty to the respective alliances (Left Democratic Front or United Democratic Front).
Left Democratic Front (1980–present)
LDF first came into power in 1980 election under the leadership of E. K. Nayanar sworn in as the Chief Minister of Kerala on 26 March 1980[31] for the first time in 1980. He formed government with the support of Congress (A) under A. K. Antony and Kerala Congress under K. M. Mani, Nayanar later became the longest serving Chief Minister of Kerala, ever since 1980 election, the power has been clearly alternating between the two alliances till the 2016.[25] LDF has won 6 out of 10 elections since the formation of the alliance in 1980. Since 1980, none of alliances in Kerala has been re-elected till the 2016. The 1987, 1996 elections led E. K. Nayanar, and the 2006 elections led by V. S. Achuthanandan formed governments and completed their full terms but were not re-elected. In 2016, LDF won the 2016 election led by Pinarayi Vijayan and had a historic re-election in 2021 election where an incumbent government was re-elected for first time in 40 years. Pinarayi Vijayan is the first Chief minister of Kerala to be re-elected after completing a full term (five years) in office.[32]
List of LDF Conveners
| No | Year | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1980–1986 | P. V. Kunjikannan |
| 2 | 1986–1987 | T. K. Ramakrishnan |
| 3 | 1987–1998 | M. M. Lawrence |
| 4 | 1998–2001 | V. S. Achuthanandan |
| 5 | 2001–2006 | Paloli Mohammed Kutty |
| 6 | 2006–2018 | Vaikom Viswan |
| 7 | 2018–2022 | A. Vijayaraghavan |
| 8 | 2022–present | E. P. Jayarajan |
Chief ministers
Pre-Left Democratic Front Parties chief ministers (1956–1979)
| № | Portrait | Name Ministry (Year) |
Length of term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Longest continuous term | Total years of premiership | |||
| 1 | _1.jpg.webp) |
E. M. S. Namboodiripad (1909–1998) 1st Namboodiripad (1957–1959) 2nd Namboodiripad (1967–1969) |
2 years, 240 days | 4 years 357 days |
List of chief ministers by length of term (1980–present)
| № | Portrait | Name Ministry (Year) |
Length of term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Longest continuous term | Total years of premiership | |||
| 1 |  |
E. K. Nayanar (1918–2004) 1st Nayanar (1980–1981) 2nd Nayanar (1987–1991) 3rd Nayanar (1996–2001) |
5 years, 27 days | 11 years, 10 days |
| 2 |  |
V. S. Achuthanandan (born 1923) Achuthanandan (2006–2011) |
4 years, 364 days | 4 years, 364 days |
| 3 |  |
Pinarayi Vijayan (born 1945) 1st Pinarayi (2016–2021) 2nd Pinarayi (2021–present) |
7 years, 155 days | 7 years, 155 days |
List of political alliances of Kerala in power (1980–present)
| No. | Political alliance | Total days in governance | Number of Chief ministers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LDF | 8542 days | 3 | |
| 2 | UDF | 7,295 days | 3 | |
Electoral history
| Election | Leader | Seats won | Change | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | E. K. Nayanar | 93 / 140 |
New | Government |
| 1982 | 63 / 140 |
 30 |
Opposition | |
| 1987 | 78 / 140 |
 15 |
Government | |
| 1991 | 48 / 140 |
42 |
Opposition | |
| 1996 | 80 / 140 |
32 |
Government | |
| 2001 | V. S. Achuthanandan | 40 / 140 |
40 |
Opposition |
| 2006 | 98 / 140 |
58 |
Government | |
| 2011 | 68 / 140 |
30 |
Opposition | |
| 2016 | Pinarayi Vijayan | 91 / 140 |
23 |
Government |
| 2021 | 99 / 140 |
8 |
Government | |
List of elected members
Kerala Legislative Assembly
The LDF is the ruling alliance in Kerala which has 99 seats out of the 140 in the Kerala Niyamasabha.
| No. | Party | Current No. of MLAs in Assembly |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Communist Party of India (Marxist) | 62 |
| 2 | Communist Party of India | 17 |
| 3 | Kerala Congress (M) | 5 |
| 4 | Nationalist Congress Party | 2 |
| 5 | Janata Dal (Secular) | 2 |
| 6 | Kerala Congress (B) | 1 |
| 7 | Loktantrik Janata Dal | 1 |
| 8 | Indian National League | 1 |
| 9 | Congress (Secular) | 1 |
| 10 | Janadhipathya Kerala Congress | 1 |
| 11 | National Secular Conference | 1 |
| 12 | LDF Supported Independents | 5 |
| Total Seats | 99 | |
The following list shows the MLAs belonging to LDF in the Niyamasabha.
Key
CPI(M) CPI KC(M) JD(S) LJD NCP
Rajya Sabha
Keys:
| # | Name[33] | Party | Term start[34] | Term end[34] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A. A. Rahim | CPM | 03-Apr-2022 | 03-Apr-2028 | |
| 2 | V. Sivadasan | CPM | 24-Apr-2021 | 23-Apr-2027 | |
| 3 | John Brittas | CPM | 24-Apr-2021 | 23-Apr-2027 | |
| 4 | Elamaram Kareem | CPM | 02-Jul-2018 | 01-Jul-2024 | |
| 5 | P. Santhosh Kumar | CPI | 03-Apr-2022 | 03-Apr-2028 | |
| 6 | Binoy Viswam | CPI | 02-Jul-2018 | 01-Jul-2024 | |
| 7 | Jose K Mani | KC(M) | 01-Dec-2021 | 01-Jul-2024 | |
Lok Sabha
| # | Constituency | Name | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kottayam | Thomas Chazhikadan | Kerala Congress (M) | |
| 2 | Alappuzha | A. M. Ariff | Communist Party of India (Marxist) | |
Kerala local body elections
The Left Democratic Front (LDF), who also forms the state government, won in more than half of all gram panchayats and block panchayats, two-thirds of district panchayats and in five out of six municipal corporations.
| Local self-government body | Local Bodies in lead | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LDF | UDF | Others | Tie | ||
| Gram Panchayats | 514 | 321 | 42 | 64 | 941 |
| Block Panchayats | 108 | 38 | 0 | 6 | 152 |
| District Panchayats | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 [lower-alpha 1] | 14 |
| Municipalities | 43 | 41 | 2 | 0 [lower-alpha 2] | 86 |
| Corporations | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Local self-government body | Local Bodies won | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LDF | UDF | NDA | Others | ||
| Gram Panchayats | 549 | 365 | 14 | 13 | 941 |
| Block Panchayats | 90 | 61 | 0 | 1 | 152 |
| District Panchayats | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Municipalities | 44 | 41 | 1 | 0 | 87 |
| Corporations | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Political activism
On 7 December 2011, the LDF organized a 208KM human wall demanding the construction of a new dam in place of the present 115-year leaky dam at Mullapperiyar. The human wall was the second-longest of the kind in Kerala which stretched across two districts.[35]
LDF launched its website ahead of 2011 Kerala Assembly Election.[36]
See also
Notes
- The ties were later resolved, LDF now control 11 and UDF controls 3 district panchayats. Refer Aftermath section
- The ties were later resolved and LDF now control 43 municipalities and UDF controls 41. Refer Aftermath section
References
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—Withnall, Adam (2 January 2019). "Protesters form 620 km 'women's wall' in India as female devotees pray at Hindu temple for first time". The Independent. Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
—"Manipur: CPI State Secretary, Blogger Arrested over CAA Protests". The Wire. Archived from the original on 25 December 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2019. - "The Left returns in Kerala". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
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- "Victory of CPI-M-led LDF in Kerala elections manifests swing away from Congress(I)". India Today. 15 February 1980. Archived from the original on 13 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
- "It was a vote for secularism, democracy and progress: E.K. Nayanar". India Today. 15 April 1987. Archived from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
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- "Election results: Left creates history in Kerala". Times of India. 2 May 2021. Archived from the original on 20 May 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
- "How 'captain' Pinarayi Vijayan led LDF in Kerala, is set to break a decades-old record". The Print. 2 May 2021. Archived from the original on 13 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
- "Alliance Wise and Party Wise Kerala Election Results 2021 LIVE". First Post. Archived from the original on 3 January 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
- "KERALA NIYAMASABHA E.K.NAYANAR". stateofkerala.in. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
- "Kerala Council of Ministers:2006–2011". www.keralaassembly.org. Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
- "Chief Ministers of kerala". kerala.gov.in. Archived from the original on 17 August 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
- "E.K.Nayanar". niyamasabha.org. Archived from the original on 8 September 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
- "LDF shatters Kerala's 40-year record, Pinarayi Vijayan now the Marxist Helmsman". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 6 February 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
- TNN (27 December 2018). "Kerala: Four new parties find berths in LDF". Times of India. Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- "Kerala Congress (M) Jose K Mani faction joins LDF". The News Minute. 14 October 2020. Archived from the original on 27 May 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
- DC Correspondent, DC Correspondent. "NCP may choose Kovoor Kunjumon as Cabinet minister". DC.
- https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/kerala-politics-indian-national-league-and-national-secular-conference-appear-to-part-ways/article35174128.ece.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - "India". Australia: Refugee Review Tribunal. 19 March 2007. Archived from the original on 16 April 2013. Retrieved 11 August 2019 – via archive.is.
- Olle Törnquist (1991). "Communists and democracy: Two Indian cases and one debate" (PDF). Bulletin of Concerned Asian Scholars. Committee of Concerned Asian Scholars. 23 (2): 63–76. doi:10.1080/14672715.1991.10413152. ISSN 0007-4810. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
The first democratically elected communist-led government in India actually came to power in 1957 in the southwest-Indian state of Kerala. Two years later this government was undemocratically toppled-by the union government and the Congress-I party with Indira Gandhi in the forefront. But the communists were reelected and led several of the following state governments.
- Sarina Singh; Amy Karafin; Anirban Mahapatra (1 September 2009). South India. Lonely Planet. ISBN 978-1-74179-155-6. Archived from the original on 24 September 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
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- Manali Desai (27 November 2006). State Formation and Radical Democracy in India. Taylor & Francis. p. 142. ISBN 978-0-203-96774-4. Archived from the original on 24 September 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
- Luke Koshi, Saritha S. Balan (19 June 2017). "Kerala chronicles: When a coalition of 7 political parties came together only to fall apart" Archived 19 April 2021 at the Wayback Machine. The News Minute. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
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- "Statewise List". 164.100.47.5. Archived from the original on 5 February 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
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Further reading
- Chief Ministers, Ministers, and Leaders of Opposition of Kerala (PDF), Thiruvananthapuram: Secratriat of Kerala Legislature, 2018
External links
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| Chief Ministers of Kerala | ||||||||
