No Left-Wing Governments in Any Indian State After 50 Years; Congress Wins in Kerala

April 22, Kathmandu – For the first time in 50 years, no Indian state will have a left-wing government. Kerala, traditionally considered the last stronghold of leftist parties, has also slipped from their control. The assembly election results in Kerala saw the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) coalition returning to power after a decade. In the 140-seat Kerala assembly, the Congress party alone secured 63 seats. Its ally, the Indian Union Muslim League, won 22 seats, while other allied parties claimed 17 seats. Meanwhile, left-wing parties managed to win only 35 seats, confirming the loss of leftist dominance in Kerala.

The left-wing government ruled Kerala for two terms from 2016 to 2026. With Kerala gone, Indian media reports highlight that no state in India will now be governed by left-wing parties. According to the news agency IANS, this marks the first time since the 1970s that no Indian state has a leftist government. The Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led government was established in West Bengal in 1977 and remained until 2011, after which the Trinamool Congress took charge. In the most recent assembly elections, Trinamool Congress won only 81 seats while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured 206 seats. The Communist Party in West Bengal managed to win just 2 seats. Similarly, from 1998 to 2018, the Left Front governed Tripura before the BJP took control in 2018.