Left-Janata alliance in 1977 Lok Sabha election The Left Front has its roots in various past platforms of collaboration of the West Bengal left parties and anti-
Indian National Congress forces. In the
1977 Lok Sabha election the Left Front contested 26 out of the 42 West Bengal Lok Sabha constituencies; CPI(M) fielded candidates for 20 seats, RSP 3 seats and AIFB 3 seats. The combined Left Front vote in West Bengal reached 5,049,077 votes (33.4% of the votes cast in the state). The Left Front thus opted to contest the elections on its own. There was also a Left Front-supported independent candidate in the
Chakdaha seat. The first cabinet meeting of the Left Front government ordered the release of political prisoners. The
Socialist Party joined the Left Front after the 1977 elections. The first years of governance was shaky, as the CPI(M) struggled with the notion of managing a communist government within a capitalist framework. On 29 September 1977 the West Bengal Land (Amendment) Bill was passed. On 4 June 1978 three-tier
panchayat local bodies were elected across the state, elections in which the Left Front won a landslide victory.
1980 Lok Sabha election Ahead of the
1980 Lok Sabha election the Left Front and the
Communist Party of India entered into a seat-sharing agreement. The combined Left Front-CPI vote in West Bengal reached 11,086,354 votes (52.7% of the votes cast in the state). Some of the older, smaller Left Front constituents were uncomfortable with the expansion of the alliance, claiming that CPI(M) was diluting it politically. The Left Front won 238 out of 294 seats in the election.
1984 Lok Sabha election In the
1984 Lok Sabha election, CPI(M) contested 31 seats, RSP 4 seats, AIFB 4 seats and CPI 3 seats. The Left Front vote in West Bengal reached 12,296,816 votes (47.6% of the votes cast in the state). CPI(M) won 187 seats, CPI 11 seats, AIFB 26 seats, RSP 18 seats, WBSP 4 seats, MFB 2 seats, DSP 2 seats and RCPI 1 seat. CPI(M) won 27 seats, CPI 3 seats, AIFB 3 seats and RSP 4 seats. The Left Front vote in West Bengal, including the votes for the JD candidate, reached 16,284,415 votes (50.6% of the votes cast in the state). Several leaders of minor Left Front parties contested on the CPI(M) symbol, such as Kiranmoy Nanda (WBSP), Gouranga Samanta (BBC) and Prabodh Chandra Sinha (DSP). The Left Front vote in West Bengal, including the votes for the JD candidates, reached 14,955,151 votes (47.1% of the votes cast in the state). Chatterjee, a former
Naxalite student leader, had unsuccessfully contested the 1991 assembly election as a CPI(M)-supported candidate.
1996 assembly election CPI(M) fielded 217 candidates in the assembly election, CPI 12, AIFB 34, RSP 23, RCPI 2 and BBC 1 candidate on an independent ticket. DSP, WBSP and MFB candidates contested on CPI(M) tickets. In 5 seats the Left Front supported JD candidates, mainly in the Calcutta area. CPI(M) won 23 seats, CPI 3 seats, AIFB 3 seats and RSP 4 seats. The Left Front vote in West Bengal, including the votes for the JD candidate, reached 18,011,700 votes (47.8% of the votes cast in the state). Basu undertook a tour of all West Bengal districts to campaign for the Left Front candidates. The Left Front also fielded Prasanta Chatterjee, the sitting mayor of Calcutta for the Calcutta Northeast seat as well as fielding sitting
Howrah mayor Swadesh Chakravarty against the Congress(I) MP
Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi. AIFB lost the Barasat seat to Trinamool Congress. The Left Front vote in West Bengal reached 17,101,211 votes (46% of the votes cast in the state). The Left Front vote in West Bengal reached 16,494,424 votes (46.1% of the votes cast in the state). Mukherjee had held the seat since 1980. The by-election, as it occurred just months before the 2001 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election, was attached crucial importance. Jyoti Basu, former Prime Minister
V.P. Singh and CPI leader
A.B. Bardhan campaigned for the Left Front candidate whilst Mamata Banerjee campaigned for the Trinamool Congress candidate. On 27 October 2000 Basu, aged 86, was given permission by the CPI(M) leadership to resign as Chief Minister. Buddhadev Bhattacharya was sworn in as new Chief Minister on 6 November 2000. For the first time since 1977 CPI(M) did not hold an absolute majority of its own in the assembly. CPI(M) had fielded 210 candidates, CPI 13, AIFB 34, RSP 23, RCPI 2, WBSP 4, DSP 2, MFB 1 and BBC 1. A 38-point Left Front election manifesto was presented in March 2001 at CPI(M) West Bengal headquarters, Muzaffar Bhavan, and was signed by Jyoti Basu (CPI(M)), Sailen Dasgupta (CPI(M)),
Buddhadeb Bhattacharya (CPI(M), Anil Biswas (CPI(M)), Ashok Ghosh (AIFB), Debabrata Bandyopadhyay (RSP), Manjukumar Majumdar (CPI), Kiranmoy Nanda (SP), Prabodh Chandra Sinha (DSP), Mihir Byne (RCPI), Pratim Chatterjee (MFB) and Sunil Chaudhuri (BBC). A mass rally was held at
Brigade Grounds on 25 March 2001 with participation from various Left Front leaders and with former Prime Minister
V.P. Singh as special guest. CPI(M) won 142 seats, CPI 7, AIFB 25, RSP 17, WBSP 4, DSP 2 and BBC 1. No RJD nor JD(S) candidates were elected.
2004 Lok Sabha election In the
2004 Lok Sabha election, CPI(M) contested 32 seats, RSP 4 seats, CPI 3 seats and AIFB 3 seats. The Left Front vote in West Bengal reached 18,766,404 votes (50.7% of the votes cast in the state). The Left Front had contested 290 seats (210 CPI(M), 34 AIFB, 23 RSP, 13 CPI, 4 WBSP, 2 DSP, 2 MFB, 1 RCPI, 1 BBC). In selecting candidates, the Left Front denied tickets to 64 incumbent legislators (52 from CPI(M), 8 from AIFB, 2 from WBSP, 1 from RSP, 1 from CPI), seeking to rejuvenate the list of candidates. The Left Front Chief Whip,
Rabin Deb, also lost his seat.
2009 Lok Sabha election The Left Front suffered a set-back in the
2009 Lok Sabha election. CPI(M) won 9 seats from West Bengal, CPI, AIFB and RSP two seats each.
Left Front as main opposition (2011–2016) in
Kolkata. Banner reads 'Bamfront', Bengali for 'Left Front'. In the
2011 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election the Left Front failed to gain a majority of seats and the 34-year streak of continuous state government was broken. CPI(M) had fielded 210 candidates, CPI 14, AIFB 34, RSP 23, SP 5, DSP 2, RCPI 2, MFB 2 and BBC 1. In one seat Left Front had supported a RJD candidate. In 2013 the Left Front was routed in the elections to the Howrah Municipal Corporation, losing control over the town for the first time in three decades. The incumbent CPI(M) mayor Mamta Jaiswal lost her seat. The Samajwadi Party led by
Kiranmoy Nanda (for many years the Fisheries Minister in the Left Front cabinets) had demanded that the Left Front allocate Lok Sabha seats to the party, a request that CPI(M) had refused. 26 out of the 42 candidates were new contestants. The Left Front vote in West Bengal was 15,287,783 votes (29.9% of the votes cast in the state). In 2014 the 16 party alliance pledged to commemorate 6 December (the day of the destruction of
Babri Masjid) as Communal Harmony Day. Ahead of the
2016 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election the Left Front presented a first list with 116 candidates on 7 March 2016. The list included 69 new candidates, 16 women and 25 candidates from religious minorities. At the time the Left Front was engaged in building a broader front with parties like
Janata Dal (United) and NCP against the Trinamool Congress government. The second list included 52 new candidates, 9 women and 20 Muslims. Dialogue between Left Front and INC continued after the release of the Left Front second list. Ahead of the 2016 election Nanda and his SP again resigned from the Left Front, citing opposition to the electoral tie-up with the Indian National Congress. After a period of dispute between CPI(M) and INC over the Tarakeswar seat, it was agreed that NCP would field a candidate there. As per the Left-Congress electoral understanding, RCPI was requested to withdraw its candidate from the Hansan seat. The candidate did however contest anyway, against the wishes of the Left Front.
Decline from 2016 to 2021 On 30 July 2017, DSP announced that it had broken its links with the Left Front. CPI(M) party-supported canteen (Sramajibi Canteen) had given food packets to labourers and poor people in various parts of Kolkata at a subsidised rate during the lockdown and had continued even after that. Strategies were implemented to combat COVID-19 and the destruction caused by cyclone
Amphan especially in the
Sunderbans on 20 May 2020 and its
cadres and volunteers rushed in to help with basics like soap, food grains, cooked food and tarpaulin for people whose homes were destroyed. In the months preceding the Assembly Elections, CPI(M) held rallies, conducted volunteer work and other activities in different parts of
East and
West Midnapore, in areas which had been difficult to access for them for over 10 years due to crude impeachment against the
red jhanda by the
TMC and
Maoists alike. In the preceding two years, after the reopening of all the party offices, the cadres were actively involved in various social welfare schemes with the participation of the youth in organising community kitchens, free ration and vegetable markets, safe housing, distribution of kits to students for studies and clothes to the underprivileged. Among many social welfare initiatives, the Left had set up Rs. 50 health clinics and safe houses for the poor who cannot afford expensive medical care facilities amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the state. The CPI(M) had converted nearly 30 party offices into safe homes for poor people who did not have extra room at their dwellings for quarantining in case of COVID-19 infection.
Since 2021 2021 Assembly elections On the eve of the
2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election Left Front had reiterated a political alliance with the
Indian National Congress in order to uproot the
Trinamool state government and oppose the advance of
BJP in West Bengal. The Left Front raised slogans for the creation of a Left democratic secular government. The
Indian Secular Front led by the Furfura Sharif cleric
Abbas Siddique also joined the
Mahajot and had finalized its seat-sharing capacities with the alliance. The new alliance had been termed as
Sanjukta Morcha (translated in English: The United Front) [Bengali: সংযুক্ত মোর্চা]. The Left Parties contested in 175 seats, Congress in 92 and ISF in 37 seats. As per the decision, out of 175 seats, CPI(M) contested on 137 seats, AIFB on 18 seats, RSP on 11 seats, CPI on 10 seats and the MFB on 1 seat. The Left Front did not win any seats out of the 292 seats of which votes were counted on 2 May 2021. The alliance, "Sanjukta Morcha" had won 1 seat in total, the sole seat being won by Nawsad Siddique in Bhangar Constituency of West Bengal. That was the first time when, the West Bengal Legislative Assembly was devoid of any Left Front or INC MLA. The runner ups of CPIM stood as follows: • Md. Kamal Hossain in Bhagabangola • Md. Rostafizur Rahaman in Domkal • Saiful Islam Molla in Jalangi • Dr. Sujan Chakraborty in Jadavpur The CPI(M) had, for a long time been running the
Sramajibi Canteens and the
Red Volunteers programme and continued to do the same, even after bagging only 4.6% of the vote share. The Sramajibi Canteens and the Red Volunteers service continued operating through all the COVID-19 waves.
2021 Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections The Left Front had contested in 128 seats and managed to secure 11.89% votes and 2 seats (CPI(M) and CPI each winning 1 seat in Ward 92 (Borough X) and Ward 103 (Borough XI) respectively) in the
Kolkata Municipal Corporation election. The Left Front bagged a second position in 65 seats, more than any other party in the polls. Differentially, CPI(M) got 9.65%, CPI got 1.02%, RSP got 0.78% and AIFB got 0.44% of votes polled. Thus, in terms of vote-share, the Left Front emerged as the main opposition in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
2022 municipal elections During the civic body elections in February, the Left won an landslide victory in Taherpur municipality with an absolute majority. Taherpur got Uttam Ananda Das as the chairman by making the leftists win eight seats. ==Members==