Written by, May 10 -- Vitalee Deori

For decades, the Indian Left has occupied a special place in the country's political landscape, shaping debates on class struggle, labour rights, secularism and welfare politics. Various facets of left-based organisations emerged over time, with contradictions of ideological basis and means of the movement. The significance of the Indian Left is its presence in the various state assemblies and the parliament through the means of election. However, today the political reality of the traditional left parties has been shrinking in the electoral field for the last two decades.

Once, powerful trade union movements and long periods of ruling states like West Bengal, Tripura and Kerala, Communist parties see...