India loses its last left-wing government after five decades
Summary
India’s left-wing political parties have lost power in Kerala, the last state where they governed. This marks the end of five decades in which at least one Indian state was ruled by the left, showing a major decline in their influence across the country.Key Facts
- Kerala was the only Indian state with a left-wing government before the recent election results.
- The Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala lost to the United Democratic Front (UDF), led by the Congress party.
- Kerala was the first place in the world to elect a communist government democratically, back in 1957.
- Since 1977, at least one Indian state always had a left-wing government, but that is no longer true.
- The left-wing parties ruled West Bengal from 1977 to 2011 and Tripura from 1993 to 2018 before losing power there.
- In national parliamentary elections, the left parties’ seats dropped from 62 in 2004 to just 8 now.
- Experts say the left’s decline is partly due to their limited reach outside certain regions and their struggles to address issues like caste, gender, and economic changes after liberalisation.
- The left opposed a 2007 nuclear deal with the US, which reflected their cautious stance toward international agreements.
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