page_title: Communism in Kerala
section_title: Birth of the Communist Party
hierarchical_section_title: Communism in Kerala / History / Birth of the Communist Party
caption_attribution_description: മലയാളം: ഇ.എം.ശങ്കരൻ നമ്പൂതിരിപ്പാട്
context_page_description: Communism in Kerala refers to the strong presence of communist ideas in the Indian state of Kerala. In addition to Kerala, the Indian states of West Bengal and Tripura have had democratically elected multiple Marxist governments, and change takes place in the government by regular multiparty electoral process. Communism of Kerala has provided Indian communist stalwarts such as M. N. Govindan Nair, C. Achutha Menon, T. V. Thomas, P. K. Vasudevan Nair, E. M. S. Namboodiripad, C. K. Chandrappan and A. K. Gopalan.
  Today the two largest communist parties in Kerala politics are the Communist Party of India and the Communist Party of India. The Left Democratic Front is a coalition of left-wing political parties in the state of Kerala and is one of the two major political coalitions in Kerala, each of which have been in power alternatively for the last two decades. The coalition consists of the Communist Party of India, the Communist Party of India, the Revolutionary Socialist Party, the Janata Dal, the Nationalist Congress Party, the Indian National League, the Kerala Congress, and the Indian National Congress.
context_section_description: But the rift between the Indian National Congress and the Socialist wing came into the open with the outbreak of the World War II, the resignation of the Congress ministries in the provinces and the starting of individual satyagraha.
  They were expelled from the Congress Socialist Party in March 1940, after allegations that the communists had disrupted party activities and were intent on coopting party organizations. Indeed, by the time the communists were expelled, they had gained control over the entire Congress Socialist Party units in what were to become the southern states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh.
  The left-dominated Kerala Provincial Congress Committee, contrary to directive of the Congress, observed. The left wing met in secret enclave at Parapram, Pinarayi, near Thalassery and in December 1939, the Communist Party was born.
  In 1957 the CPI was elected to rule the state government of Kerala only to have the government dismissed and President's Rule declared in 1959. In 1964, in conjunction with the widening rift between China and the Soviet Union, a large leftist faction of the CPI leadership, based predominantly in Kerala and West Bengal, split from the party to form the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI (M). In Kerala, the CPI (M) in coalition with other parties wrested control from the Congress and its allies (frequently including the CPI) in 1967, in 1980, and in 1987. Support for the CPI (M) in Kerala in general elections has ranged from 19 percent to 26 percent, but the party has never won more than nine of Kerala's twenty seats in Parliament. But as a coalition including CPI (M), CPI and other parties as Left Democratic Front they won 19 seats out of 20.
caption: E.M.S. Namboodiripad
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