Party of Democratic Socialism (India)

Last updated

Party of Democratic Socialism
Leader Anuradha Putatunda
General Secretary Samir Putatundu
FounderSaifuddin Chowdhury, Samir Putatunda
Founded21 February 2001
Split from CPIM
Headquarters2/3A, Dr. Suresh Sarkar Road, Kolkata – 700014
Women's wing Paschim Banga Nari Sanghati Samiti
Ideology Scientific socialism
Democratic socialism
Secularism
Political position Center-left to left-wing
ColoursRed
ECI StatusRegistered Regional Party [1]
Website
Party of Democratic Socialism

The Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) is a political party in West Bengal in India. The PDS was founded in February 2001 by former Communist Party of India (Marxist) leaders Saifuddin Choudhury and Samir Putatundu. [2] The PDS was in opposition to the Left Front government in West Bengal.

Contents

History

The PDS was founded by Saifuddin Chaudhury on 21 February 2001. [3] Samir Putatunda, who had been expelled from CPI(M), joined the new party. [4]

Alliances

Initially there was speculation that the PDS would joint with the All India Trinamool Congress, or else that it would be a constituent of an anti-CPI(M) mahajot (broad front), but the link between Trinamool and the Hindu rightist Bharatiya Janata Party hindered such a development.

The PDS has formed relations with other pro-Congress leftist outfits, such as the Communist Marxist Party in Kerala and the United Communist Party of India. PDS participates in the Confederation of Indian Communists and Democratic Socialists.

Elections

Ahead of the West Bengal state assembly elections in 2001, the PDS had launched their own front. The PDS put up 98 candidates, who together got 219,082 votes (0.6% of the votes in the state). None of their candidates were elected. Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2004, the PDS had joined hands with Congress, and put up two candidates supported by Congress.

Organisation

The flag of the PDS is a red flag with a red star in a white circle. The president of the PDS is Saifuddin Chaudhury, the general secretary is Samir Putatundu (formerly the CPI(M) South 24 Paraganas district secretary), and the treasurer is Subir Chaudhury.

The women's organization of the PDS is called Paschim Banga Nari Sanghati Samiti (West Bengal Women's United Association). The president of PBNSS is Kishwar Jahan. The PDS publishes Natun Path (New Way).

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Communist Party of India (Marxist)</span> Political party in India

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (abbreviated as CPI(M)/CPIM/CPM) is a communist political party in India. It is the largest communist party in India in terms of membership and electoral seats, and one of the national parties of India. The party was founded through a splitting from CPI in 1964 and it quickly became the dominant fraction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Communist Marxist Party</span> Political party in Kerala, India

Communist Marxist Party (CMP) was a political party in Kerala. The party was founded in 1986 when M. V. Raghavan was expelled from the CPI(M) due to a grave difference of opinion regarding the formation of alliances with the IUML. His support for forming a united front with non-secular parties such as the Muslim League in order to take on alliances led by the INC was ultimately rejected by the CPI(M) leadership. He was subsequently expelled from the Party.

Communist Revolutionary League of India (CRLI) is a political party in the Indian state of West Bengal. The party is led by Ashim Chatterjee, former student leader of Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist). Chattejee broke with Charu Majumdar in 1971 after the failure of the attempts to build an armed movement in the Debra-Gopiballavbur area in West Bengal and due to the opposition of CPI (ML) towards the liberation struggle of Bangladesh. Chatterjee formed the Bengal-Bihar-Orissa Border Regional Committee, CPI (ML). His group joined the CPI (ML) of Satayanarayan Singh. Later Chatterjee formed the CRLI.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangla Congress</span> Political party in West Bengal, India

The Bangla Congress was a regional political party in the Indian state of West Bengal. It was formed through a split in the Indian National Congress in 1966 and later co-governed with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in two United Front governments, the first lasting from 15 March 1967 to 2 November 1967, the second from 25 February 1969 to 19 March 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee</span> 8th Chief Minister of West Bengal

Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee is an Indian communist politician and a former member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). He served as the 7th Chief Minister of West Bengal from 2000 to 2011. In a political career over 5 decades, he became one of the senior leaders of Communist Party of India (Marxist) during his regime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist)</span> Indian political party

The Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) or SUCI(C), previously called the Socialist Unity Centre of India and "Socialist Unity Centre", is an anti-revisionist Marxist-Leninist communist party in India. The party was founded by Shibdas Ghosh, Nihar Mukherjee and others in 1948.

Mohammed Salim is an Indian politician belonging to the Communist Party of India (Marxist). He was inducted in the politburo of CPI(M) in the 21st party congress organised at Visakhapatnam in 2015. He was a member of the 16th Lok Sabha, representing Raiganj constituency. Earlier, he was a member of the 14th Lok Sabha, representing the Calcutta North East constituency of West Bengal. After delimitation, in the 2009 Lok Sabha election Salim contested the new Calcutta North constituency, and lost to Sudip Bandyopadhyay of the Trinamool Congress.

Sanjukta Morcha alternatively Sanyukta Morcha, is a political alliance formed ahead of the 2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election as an alternative to the Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party. It was led by Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Indian National Congress and Indian Secular Front with other smaller parties of Left Front during the 2021 elections. After the election, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the head of Congress, declared the end of any alliance with Indian Secular Front Later on CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said the electoral alliances was over after the polls, but the political understanding between Left, Congress and ISF will continue.

Communism in India has existed as a social or political ideology as well as a political movement since at least as early as the 1920s. In its early years, communist ideology was harshly suppressed through legal prohibitions and criminal prosecutions. Eventually, communist parties became ensconced in national party politics, sprouting several political offshoots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of West Bengal (1947–present)</span>

The history of West Bengal began in 1947, when the Hindu-dominated western part of British Bengal Province became the Indian state of West Bengal.

Confederation of Indian Communist and Democratic Socialists(CICDS) was a confederation of left-wing parties in India.

Saifuddin Choudhury, was an Indian politician who was a CPI(M) leader and MP from West Bengal state of India. In February 2001 he formed Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS).

Asansol Uttar Assembly constituency is an assembly constituency in Paschim Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal.

Asansol Dakshin Assembly constituency is an assembly constituency in Paschim Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abdur Razzak Molla</span> Indian Politician

Abdur Razzak Molla or Rezzak Mollah was Minister for Land and Land Reforms in the Left Front Ministry in the Indian state of West Bengal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Communism in Kerala</span>

The Indian state of Kerala has a strong presence of communist politics. Today, the two largest communist parties in Kerala politics are the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India, which, together with other left-wing parties, form the ruling Left Democratic Front alliance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election</span> State legislative assembly election

Legislative Assembly election was held in 2016 for the 294 seats of the Vidhan Sabha in the state of West Bengal in India. The All India Trinamool Congress under Mamata Banerjee won 211 seats, and thus was reelected with an enhanced majority. Like in the 2011 election, the poll was held in six phases, with the first phase divided into two days. The first phase was held in Naxalite-Maoist affected Red corridor areas with two polling dates: 4 April and 11 April. The other phases were held on 17, 21, 25, 30 April and 5 May. The result of the election was declared on 19 May.

The Left Front is an alliance of left-wing political parties in the Indian state of West Bengal. It was formed in January 1977, the founding parties being the Communist Party of India (Marxist), All India Forward Bloc, the Revolutionary Socialist Party, the Marxist Forward Bloc, the Revolutionary Communist Party of India and the Biplabi Bangla Congress. Other parties joined in later years, most notably the Communist Party of India.

Deblina Hembram is an Indian Politician from West Bengal and a central committee member of Communist Party of India (Marxist). She was the Minister for Tribal Affairs in the 2006-11 Left Front Ministry.

References

  1. "Election Commission of India".
  2. "Saifuddin Choudhury off CPI-M rolls". Press Trust of India. 3 October 2000. Retrieved 19 March 2009.
  3. SABYASACHI BANDOPADHYAY (9 March 2001). "Former CPM rebel claims threat to life" . Retrieved 19 March 2009.
  4. "Putatunda Expelled From Party". People's Democracy. 11 March 2001. Retrieved 19 March 2009.