India, March 26 -- If the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI (M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) were to retain power in the forthcoming elections in Kerala, Indian communists would achieve an important feat. They would have been in power in at least one Indian state for 50 consecutive years in 2027. While the communists won their first state election in Kerala in 1957, they retained power in West Bengal continuously between 1977 and 2011 and in Tripura from 1993 to 2018. Kerala is the communists' last bastion after they were completely marginalised (not even an MLA) in their erstwhile stronghold of West Bengal. Here are three charts which explain the challenge facing Vijayan and his comrades.

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