P. Sundaraiah, after being released from jail, spent the period of September 1965-February 1966 in Moscow for medical treatment. In Moscow he also held talks with the CPSU.[1]
1964 split edit
In Tripura, the majority of CPI leaders and activists joined the CPI(M).[2]
1970s edit
At the time of the 1977 Lok Sabha election, CPI(M) had an electoral understanding with the Janata Party. However, in the state assembly elections in West Bengal and Tripura that followed, CPI(M) and JP contested against each other.[3]
The 10th party congress was held in Jalandhar, in April 1978.[4]
1980s edit
After the 1984 elections, the Politburo and Central Committee directed the Kerala State Committee to review the alliance with the All India Muslim League. Moreover, differences had surged in between the AIML and the CPI(M) over a proposal to give state pensions to employees of mosques (a proposal AIML supported and CPI(M) opposed). Eventually, AIML broke with the LDF and reunified with the Indian Union Muslim League. A section within the CPI(M) in Kerala, felt that this was a negative development. It wanted the party to build an alliance with IUML and the two Kerala Congresses to fight the INC in the state. They argued for this position at the the CPI(M) Kerala state conference and the 11th congress of CPI(M), held in Calcutta January 1986, but failed to win the support of the party. After the Calcutta congress, they broke away and formed the Communist Marxist Party.[5]
1990s edit
Mandal: The CPI(M) held somewhat different views than the Janata Dal on the system of reservations in public sector. Jyoti Basu conveyed to the prime minister that in West Bengal no listing of backward castes existed and thus reservations of employments could not be done on this basis.[6]
Following the destruction of Babri Masjid, CPI(M) criticised the national government for not having put Uttar Pradesh under President's Rule prior to December 6. Moreover, the party demanded that Emergency be declared in Bombay to check the communal violence.[7]
In 1992, the party set up its own news agency, the Indian News Network.[8]
1991 edit
In the 1991 Lok Sabha election, the CPI(M) got 11.24% of the votes in the first round and 3.66% in the second (which was held after the assassination of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi). After the election the CPI(M) politburo stated that the sympathy wave for the Congress after the assassination was the main factor of the CPI(M) result. The party got 35 seats in the Lok Sabha.[9]
The overall vote for CPI(M) decreased by 0.13% compared to 1987. In its strongholds Kerala and West Bengal it had decreased by 0.57% and 2.39% respectively. In Assam, the party increased its vote by 3.42% and was able to win a seat.[10] In Maharashtra, CPI(M) candidate K.M. Gangahare defeated Congress stalwarth Vasant Sathe in the Wardha seat.[11] In Orissa, the party won a seat in alliance with Janata Dal and CPI.[12]
In Tripura, CPI(M) pulled out of the Lok Sabha election, claiming that the polls were being rigged by the Congress.[13] Large scale violence had marred the election campaign in Tripura.[14]
The Left Front also won the West Bengal state assembly election held in 1991. The main topics of the Left Front campaign were stability, communal amity and the Mandal commission.[15] In Kerala, the CPI(M)-led LDF was defeated by the Congress-led UDF.[16]
1996 edit
In Andhra Pradesh, CPI(M) and CPI were aligned with N. Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party. CPI(M) was able to retain its Lok Sabha seat from Andhra Pradesh.[17] In Uttar Pradesh the party contested with seat-sharing arrangement with Samajwadi Party, Janata Dal and CPI. Within this framework, CPI(M) contested two Lok Sabha seats.[18]
After the election, the United Front offered Jyoti Basu of CPI(M) to become Prime Minister of India. CPI(M) rejected the offer, and chosed to support the UF government from outside.[19]
1998 edit
In 1998, for the first time, the four main left parties in India (CPI(M), CPI, Forward Bloc and RSP) published a joint election manifesto. The manifesto sought to consolidate the United Front and pledged its support to the Common Minimum Programme of the UF. Compared to the 1996 election, when CPI(M) had called for the defeat of both BJP and Congress, the 1998 manifesto identified BJP as the main enemy to democracy in India[20], whereas Congress was blamed for failures in governance, anti-people economic policies and corruption. The manifesto opposed opening up the insurance sector to private investments.[21]
In Kerala, factional conflict within CPI(M) marred the electoral campaign. The conflict was spurred by the denial of the post of chief minister to veteran CPI(M) leader V.S. Achuthanandan. V.S. was supported by trade unionist sectors of the party. Another significant issue that had affected the electoral campaign in Kerala had been the militant anti-paddy reclamation campaign by the KSKTU (the state affiliate of the Kisan Sabha). Furthermore, relations between CPI(M) and Islamic parties like INL and PDP had soured, due to the rejection of cooperation with communal elements. In the past, these parties had supported the LDF in some sense but were now supportive of INC.[22]
In Punjab, the party had contested three constituencies, Sangrur, Hoshiarpur and Phillaur, on its own. It forfeited its deposits in all three.[23] In Rajasthan, the party candidate xx secured third place with around 196 000 votes.[24]
In Uttar Pradesh the party contested one Lok Sabha seat supported by the Samajwadi Party, but in other seats it contested againt SP candidates, a sign of the fragile nature of the United Front.[25]
After the elections, CPI(M) general secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet made efforts to gather a secular, anti-BJP majority in the parliament. Such a majority would have include the Congress and TDP. However, Naidu of the TDP was not interested in an alliance with Congress as he faced a growing Congress opposition in Andhra Pradesh. Congress, on its side, did not respond positively to the appeals of Surjeet. Surjeet's post-electoral maneuvers caused opposition within the Kerala organization of CPI(M).[26]
2004 edit
After the 2004 election, Congress president Sonia Gandhi invited CPI(M) to join the national governments. After some debate, the party decided not to join the government.[27]
State secretaries edit
Karnataka: V J K Nair[28] Orissa: Janardan Pati[29] Tripura: Baidyanath Majumder[30] Uttarakhand: Vijay Rawat[31] West Bengal: Biman Bosu
- ^ M.V.S. Koteswara Rao. Communist Parties and United Front - Experience in Kerala and West Bengal. Hyderabad: Prajasakti Book House, 2003. p. 17-18
- ^ Mohanta, Bijan. Tripura – In the light of socio-political movements since 1945. Kolkata: Progressive Publishers, 2004. p. 14
- ^ E.M.S. Namboodiripad. The Communist Party in Kerala - Six Decades of Struggle and Advance. New Delhi: National Book Centre, 1994. p. 267
- ^ E.M.S. Namboodiripad. The Communist Party in Kerala - Six Decades of Struggle and Advance. New Delhi: National Book Centre, 1994. p. 269
- ^ E.M.S. Namboodiripad. The Communist Party in Kerala - Six Decades of Struggle and Advance. New Delhi: National Book Centre, 1994. p. 298-299
- ^ C.P. Bhambhri. Bharatiya Janata Party – Periphery to Centre. Delhi: Shirpa Publications, 2001. p. 101
- ^ C.P. Bhambhri. Bharatiya Janata Party – Periphery to Centre. Delhi: Shirpa Publications, 2001. p. 108
- ^ http://www.ganashakti.com/archive/party_pub.htm
- ^ Kumar, Arun (ed.). The Tenth Round - Story of the Indian Elections 1991. Calcutta: Rupa & Co., 1991. p. 49-51
- ^ Kumar, Arun (ed.). The Tenth Round - Story of the Indian Elections 1991. Calcutta: Rupa & Co., 1991. p. 61-62
- ^ Kumar, Arun (ed.). The Tenth Round - Story of the Indian Elections 1991. Calcutta: Rupa & Co., 1991. p. 85
- ^ Kumar, Arun (ed.). The Tenth Round - Story of the Indian Elections 1991. Calcutta: Rupa & Co., 1991. p. 87
- ^ Kumar, Arun (ed.). The Tenth Round - Story of the Indian Elections 1991. Calcutta: Rupa & Co., 1991. p. 102
- ^ Kumar, Arun (ed.). The Tenth Round - Story of the Indian Elections 1991. Calcutta: Rupa & Co., 1991. p. 24
- ^ Kumar, Arun (ed.). The Tenth Round - Story of the Indian Elections 1991. Calcutta: Rupa & Co., 1991. p. 146-147
- ^ Kumar, Arun (ed.). The Tenth Round - Story of the Indian Elections 1991. Calcutta: Rupa & Co., 1991. p. 143
- ^ M.L. Ahuja, M.L.. Electoral Politics and General Elections in India (1952-1998). New Delhi: Mittal Publications, 1998. p. 51-52
- ^ Ahuja, M.L.. Electoral Politics and General Elections in India (1952-1998). New Delhi: Mittal Publications, 1998. p. 173
- ^ http://im.rediff.com/news/1998/jan/06wb.htm
- ^ The BJP was refered to as 'Feudal elements who cannot renconcile with to a democratic order,...'
- ^ Ahuja, M.L.. Electoral Politics and General Elections in India (1952-1998). New Delhi: Mittal Publications, 1998. p. 232
- ^ Ahuja, M.L.. Electoral Politics and General Elections in India (1952-1998). New Delhi: Mittal Publications, 1998. p. 110-112
- ^ Ahuja, M.L.. Electoral Politics and General Elections in India (1952-1998). New Delhi: Mittal Publications, 1998. p. 150
- ^ Ahuja, M.L.. Electoral Politics and General Elections in India (1952-1998). New Delhi: Mittal Publications, 1998. p. 154
- ^ Ahuja, M.L.. Electoral Politics and General Elections in India (1952-1998). New Delhi: Mittal Publications, 1998. p. 173, 236-237
- ^ Ahuja, M.L.. Electoral Politics and General Elections in India (1952-1998). New Delhi: Mittal Publications, 1998. p. 240
- ^ http://www.rediff.com/election/2004/may/15cpim.htm
- ^ http://pd.cpim.org/2008/0323_pd/03232008_19.htm
- ^ http://www.thehindu.com/2007/12/20/stories/2007122057500300.htm
- ^ Mohanta, Bijan. Tripura – In the light of socio-political movements since 1945. Kolkata: Progressive Publishers, 2004. p. 13
- ^ http://pd.cpim.org/0113_pd/01132008_uttar.htm