Kerala election results: What next for CPM if things go south?

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: If things don’t go well for LDF today, the party will go through gruelling tests in the coming days, and will be without power in any state of the country.

Kerala has been choosing between the UDF and LDF every five years. However, the Pinarayi government, which came to power in 2016, achieved a historic victory in 2021 with a landslide majority. If the people favour LDF again, it will be an achievement unlikely to be broken in the near future. If things go the other way, then the party will likely face a similar fate to what they encountered in Bengal.

The CPM ruled Bengal for 34 years from 1977 to 2011. In 2011, the Trinamool Congress, led by Mamata Banerjee, came to power with a landslide victory. In the current political climate, the Left is nearly wiped out from the political milieu in Bengal, with its cadres mostly switching allegiance to the TMC or BJP.

The quarter-century-long CPM rule ended in Tripura in 2018. A comeback there, too, is unlikely for the time being. The situation will be dire for the party if they face defeat in Kerala this time.