The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (abbreviated as CPI(M)) 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 the Communist Party of India in 1964 and it quickly became the dominant faction.
Kannoth Karunakaran was an Indian politician who served as the chief minister of Kerala in 1977, from 1981 to March 1982, from May 1982 to 1987 and from 1991 to 1995. He is the founder of the Indian National Congress (INC)-led United Democratic Front (UDF) coalition, which governed the state in the periods of 1982-87, 1991-96, 2001-06 and 2011-16; and currently is the main opposition in Kerala since 2016. He has also served as the Union Minister of Industry from 1995 to 1996 and served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly for four terms- 1967 to 1969, 1978 to 1979, 1980 to 1981 and 1987 to 1991. He also has the distinction of being one of the longest serving Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Leaders in the country, holding that post from 1967 to 1995.
Erambala Krishnan Nayanar was an Indian politician who served as the 9th chief minister of Kerala from 1980 to 1981, 1987 to 1991 and again from 1996 to 2001. He served in that position for a total of 10 years, 11 months and 22 days, thus making him the longest-served Chief Minister of Kerala. He was a senior leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
The Left Democratic Front (LDF) is an alliance of left-wing political parties led by Communist Party of India (Marxist) in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the current ruling political alliance of Kerala, since 2016. It is one of the two major political alliances in Kerala, the other being Indian National Congress-led United Democratic Front, each of which has been in power alternately for the last four decades. LDF has won the elections to the State Legislature of Kerala in the years 1980, 1987, 1996, 2006, 2016 and had a historic re-election in 2021 where an incumbent government was re-elected for first time in 40 years. LDF has won 6 out of 10 elections since the formation of the alliance in 1980. The alliance consists of CPI(M), CPI and various smaller parties.
Velikkakathu Sankaran Achuthanandan, popularly known by his initials V. S., is an Indian politician who was the Chief Minister of Kerala from 2006 to 2011. At 82, he was the oldest person to have assumed the office. He is affiliated to the Communist Party of India (Marxist). He served as the chairman of Administrative reforms in Kerala with state cabinet rank from 2016 to 2021. He has served as Leader of the Opposition for 15 years which makes him the longest serving Leader of the Opposition in Kerala Legislative Assembly.
K. R. Gouri, born Kalathilparambil Raman Gouri, commonly known as Gouri Amma, was an Indian politician from Alappuzha in central Kerala. She was one of the most prominent leaders of the Left movement in India.
Palathinal Joseph Joseph is an Indian politician from Kerala Congress serving as the Member of the Legislative Assembly from Thodupuzha Assembly Constituency in Kerala.
Pinarayi Vijayan is an Indian politician who serves as the chief minister of Kerala since 25 May 2016. A member of the politburo of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), he is the longest-serving secretary of the Kerala State Committee of the CPI(M) (1998–2015). He has also served as Minister of Electric Power and Co-operatives during the third E. K. Nayanar ministry. Vijayan won a seat in the May 2016 Kerala Legislative Assembly election and 2021 Kerala Legislative Assembly election as the CPI(M) candidate for Dharmadom constituency and was selected as the leader of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and became the 12th Chief Minister of Kerala. He is the first chief minister from Kerala to be re-elected after completing a full term in office. In 2022, he also became the longest-continuous serving chief minister of Kerala surpassing C. Achutha Menon who had been the first to remain in office for 2364 consecutive days.
Keezhoote Raman Balakrishna Pillai was an Indian politician who served as minister of the state of Kerala in India, holding portfolios such as Transport and Electricity. He was a member of the Kerala Legislative Assembly from Kottarakara constituency in Kollam district for almost three decades. He was the Chairman of Kerala Congress (B). Throughout his political career, Pillai remained a controversial figure in Kerala state politics. He was the first Kerala minister to be imprisoned for corruption.
V. M. Sudheeran is an Indian politician, who was a former President of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), former Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly, Health Minister of Kerala, and a prominent political leader in Kerala. He was a member of the 6th, 11th, 12th and 13th Lok Sabha representing Alappuzha each time and a member of the Kerala Legislative Assembly from 1980 to 1996 representing Manalur.
P. K. Sreemathy, popularly known as P. K. Sreemathy Teacher, is an Indian politician and a member of the CPI(M). Born at Mayyil Panchayat in Kannur district, Sreemathy was elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly in 2001 and 2006 from Payyanur Assembly constituency. She was the Health and Family Welfare Minister of Kerala from 2006 to 2011. She was MP of 16th Lok Sabha, representing Kannur Lok Sabha constituency.
Paloli Mohammed Kutty is an Indian politician, social worker, the former Minister for Local Administration in the Government of Kerala and a member of both State and Central Committee of Communist Party of India (Marxist). He was also served as Convenor of Left Democratic Front from 2001 to 2006.He represented the Ponnani constituency in Malappuram district in the Kerala Legislative Assembly from 2006 to 2011.
Sekharan Sharma is an Indian politician who belongs to the Communist Party of India (Marxist). He is a former minister for fisheries, registration and harbour engineering, and electricity and co-operation in the Government of Kerala and a member of Kerala State Committee of Communist Party of India (Marxist). He represents the Vypeen constituency in the Kerala Legislative Assembly. He has served as the chairman of Kochi Smart City and has been on the board of Cochin International Airport.
The Seventh Kerala Legislative Assembly Council of Ministers in K. Karunakaran's second ministry, was a Kerala Council of Ministers, the executive wing of Kerala state government, led by Indian National Congress leader K. Karunakaran from 28 December 1981 to 17 March 1982. It comprised 8 ministers, including Deputy Chief Minister C.H. Mohammed Koya.
K. Radhakrishnan is an Indian politician who is the CPI(M) Parliamentary Party Leader in 18th Lok Sabha and Member of the Lok Sabha for Alathur since 2024. A veteran leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Radhakrishnan previously served as a State Minister of Kerala from 2021 to 2024, and from 1996 to 2001.
The Kerala Legislative Assembly election of 1967 was held to constitute the fourth assembly in Kerala.
Kerala's major political parties are aligned under two coalitions, namely the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) since the late 1970s. Kerala was the first Indian state to have coalition government as early as 1961 .
The 1996 Kerala Legislative Assembly election was held in May 1996 to elect members to the Kerala State Assembly. Polls were held simultaneously in all 140 seats and resulted in a voter turnout of 71.16%.
Elections were held on 1980 January 3 and 5 to elect members to the sixth Niyamasabha. This election saw the formation of two pre-poll alliances, viz. LDF and UDF, most of whose constituent parties were part of the erstwhile United Front. CPI(M)-led LDF to win the election, after winning 93 seats altogether. E. K. Nayanar was sworn in as the Chief Minister on 26 March 1980
