India's Left faces leadership rifts, legal probes and electoral setbacks

Kerala’s 2026 election loss ended a decade of Communist rule and left the state without a left-led government for the first time in decades. The defeat sparked a public dispute between the CPI(M) and CPI over the deputy opposition leader post, reflecting deeper disagreements about the alliance’s future. Simultaneously, the UDF-led government ordered a police inquiry into former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his daughter Veena T and son-in-law PA Mohammed Riyas over alleged payments to Exalogic Solutions, a case the CPI(M) frames as political persecution.

In Delhi, the SFI-AISA student coalition, though active in campus protests, recorded lower vote totals in the Delhi University Students' Union election, underscoring a gap between activism and electoral success. The article notes that the Left’s decline, once evident in West Bengal and Tripura, now hinges on whether it can rebuild organisational cohesion and appeal to younger voters. Overall, the piece argues that the Left’s survival depends on resolving internal tensions and adapting to a changing political landscape.