The year 1957 was a significant one for India. The Indian National Congress (INC) retained control and returned to power for a second consecutive term at the Centre. Meanwhile, the Communist Party of India (CPI) created history by winning the Assembly election in Kerala, forming India’s first democratically elected communist government and setting a precedent for parliamentary communism, which remains a unique feature of Indian democracy.
The backstory of Kerala
Before Independence, the State of Kerala as we know it today was a collection of princely states and British administered provinces; the northern regions, including Dakshina Kannada (South Canara) and the Malabar district were a part of the Madras Presidency, and the southern regions were either a part of the Kingdom of Cochin or the bigger Kingdom of Travancore. The Congress party was the dominant political force in the region, while communism didn’t gain much ground until the 1930s, when there was a significant social upheaval in the State.
