Left Front (West Bengal)
The Left Front (Bengali: বামফ্রন্ট; Baamfront) 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.
Left Front | |
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| Abbreviation | LF |
| Chairperson | Biman Bose |
| Founder | Jyoti Basu |
| Founded | January 1977 |
| Ideology | Communism Marxism–Leninism |
| Political position | Left-wing to far-left |
| ECI Status | Recognised |
| Alliance | 9 parties |
| Seats in Lok Sabha | 0 / 42 |
| Seats in Rajya Sabha | 1 / 16 |
| Seats in West Bengal Legislative Assembly | 0 / 294 |
| Part of a series on |
| Communism in India |
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| Communism portal |
The Left Front ruled the state for seven consecutive terms 1977–2011, five with Jyoti Basu as Chief Minister and two under Buddhadev Bhattacharya. The CPI(M) is the dominant force in the alliance. In the 2011 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election the Left Front failed to gain a majority of seats and left office. As of 2016 Biman Bose is the Chairman of the West Bengal Left Front Committee.