NEW DELHI: For the Left, its most crucial battle is in Kerala, as the CPM-led LDF fights for a return to power in the last Communist-governed state, which goes to polls with West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Puducherry. In Bengal – where it was once the dominant force and now lacks any presence in terms of MLAs and MPs from the state – it is striving for a revival. And in Tamil Nadu, it is putting up a fight to ensure the return of the DMK-led alliance, of which CPM and CPI are a part. The Left parties, including CPI(ML), are also gearing up for a fight against BJP as part of the Congress-led alliance in Assam. They will focus on reaching the working class, Dalits and other backward classes in all the poll-bound states.

General secretaries of CPM and CPI(ML) Liberation, MA Baby and Dipankar Bhattacharya, respectively, highlighted that the goal is to expand the footprint of the Left, weaken BJP where it is in power and ensure that the latter does not grow stronger in opposition-ruled states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Emphasising the outreach by the Left parties, CPI’s D Raja said BJP stands exposed for its failures on the economy, employment generation, inflation and foreign policy. Baby admitted that while there is a “stiff fight” in Kerala, “we are confident that people will see all that the LDF govt has done and not be swayed by the narratives of UDF and BJP. We are also going to the people and are open to criticism to understand their concerns and address them.” With a resurgent UDF stepping up its attack on the two-term CPM-led govt in Kerala and a BJP seen to be making inroads, the assembly polls in the state will be a critical test for the Left parties. A loss will put a big question mark over the Left’s relevance in the INDIA bloc, nationally. Meanwhile, in a bid to steer a revival in West Bengal and mark its presence as the third force in the contest, the Left front is going to the polls as a broader coalition which has CPI(ML) – unlike in the previous assembly elections – and some non-Left players too.