# Left Front (India)

The Left Front (India) alliance in India was officially formed in 1977. This coalition primarily consisted of left-wing and communist parties, including the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M), the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), and the All India Forward Bloc (AIFB), among others. The Left Front provided a unified platform for communist and socialist forces in India, which had previously been fragmented. By forming a stable alliance, the Left parties could present a consolidated opposition to the dominant Congress party and later to right-wing forces, influencing both state and national politics in India. The alliance gained prominence, particularly in West Bengal, where it won the state elections in 1977 and governed for an extended period, marking one of the longest-running elected communist governments globally.

## History

The Left Front in India was formally established in 1977, catalyzed by the political climate following the Emergency (1975-1977), declared by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. During the Emergency, many opposition leaders, including those from leftist and socialist backgrounds, faced imprisonment and political repression. This period of political suppression created a common ground for various left-leaning parties to join forces against the Congress-led government, leading to the formation of the Left Front as an organized political alliance

## Member Parties

The Left Front in India comprises a diverse range of political parties from across India.
Member Parties of Left Front :
| Party | Party | Party | Flag | Election symbol | Ideology | Founded | Leader | Government in states/UTs | Government in states/UTs | Seats | Seats | Seats | Seats |
| Party | Party | Party | Flag | Election symbol | Ideology | Founded | Leader | Chief ministers | Alliance partner | Lok Sabha | Rajya Sabha | State assemblies | State councils |
| | Communist Party of India (Marxist) | CPI(M) | | | Communism Marxism–Leninism Secularism Socialism | November 1964 (59 years ago) (November 1964) | Prakash Karat (interim) | 1 / 31 | 2 / 31 | 4 / 543 | 5 / 245 | 79 / 4,123 | 0 / 426 |
| | Communist Party of India | CPI | | | Communism Marxism–Leninism Anti-capitalism Socialism Secularism | 1925 | D. Raja | 0 / 31 | 4 / 31 | 2 / 543 | 2 / 245 | 22 / 4,123 | 1 / 426 |
| | All India Forward Bloc | AIFB | | | Left-wing nationalism Socialism Anti-imperialism Marxism | 1939 | Debabrata Biswas | 0 / 31 | 0 / 31 | 0 / 543 | 0 / 245 | 0 / 4,123 | 0 / 426 |
| | Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation | CPI(ML) | | | Communism Marxism–Leninism Maoism | 1974 | Dipankar Bhattacharya | 0 / 31 | 1 / 31 | 2 / 543 | 0 / 245 | 13 / 4,123 | 1 / 426 |
| | Revolutionary Socialist Party | RSP | | | Communism Marxism–Leninism Revolutionary socialism | 1940 | Manoj Bhattacharya | 0 / 31 | 0 / 31 | 1 / 543 | 0 / 245 | 0 / 4,123 | 0 / 426 |

### Other regional member parties

* Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) [SUCI(C)]
* Marxist Forward Bloc (MFB)
* Democratic Socialist Party (DSP)

## Electoral Performance

Performance of Left Front in Indian General Elections (Loksabha elections) :
| Year | Legislature | Seats won | Change in seats | Seats by Party |
| 1977 | 6th Lok Sabha | 36 / 544 | New | CPI(M) (22), CPI (7), RSP (4), AIFB (3), |
| 1980 | 7th Lok Sabha | 54 / 531 | 18 | CPI(M) (37), CPI (10), RSP (4), AIFB (3), |
| 1984 | 8th Lok Sabha | 34 / 543 | 20 | CPI(M) (22), CPI (6), RSP (3), AIFB (2), PWPI (1) |
| 1989 | 9th Lok Sabha | 53 / 543 | 19 | CPI(M) (33), CPI (12), RSP (4), AIFB (3), IPF (1) |
| 1991 | 10th Lok Sabha | 56 / 543 | 3 | CPI(M) (35), CPI (14), RSP (4), AIFB (3) |
| 1996 | 11th Lok Sabha | 52 / 543 | 4 | CPI(M) (32), CPI (12), RSP (5), AIFB (3) |
| 1998 | 12th Lok Sabha | 49 / 543 | 3 | CPI(M) (32), CPI (9), RSP (5), AIFB (2), PWPI (1) |
| 1999 | 13th Lok Sabha | 44 / 543 | 5 | CPI(M) (33), CPI (4), RSP (3), AIFB (3), PWPI (1), CPI(ML)L (1) |
| 2004 | 14th Lok Sabha | 59 / 543 | 15 | CPI(M) (43), CPI (10), RSP (3), AIFB (3) |
| 2009 | 15th Lok Sabha | 24 / 543 | 35 | CPI(M) (16), CPI (4), RSP (2), AIFB (2) |
| 2014 | 16th Lok Sabha | 13 / 543 | 13 | CPI(M) (9), CPI (1), RSP (1) |
| 2019 | 17th Lok Sabha | 6 / 543 | 7 | CPI(M) (3), CPI (2), RSP (1) |
| 2024 | 18th Lok Sabha | 9 / 543 | 3 | CPI(M) (4), CPI (2), CPI(ML)L (2), RSP (1) |

## See Also

* List of communist parties in India