Kerala Political Parties

There are six national parties working in Kerala. To become a national party, a party must secure at least six percent of the valid votes polled in four or more states in the assembly or Lok Sabha elections. The statutory processing fee to register a political party with the Election Commission of India is Rs. 10,000. A national party can use its symbol throughout India. A party can be granted the status of a state party if all the candidates of that party secure at least eight percent of the valid votes polled in the state or if they secure at least six percent of the total votes polled.

Below are the national parties of Kerala and their symbols.

• Indian National Congress, INC (1885) - Right hand with its palm facing front

• Communist Party of India Marxist, CPI (M) (1964) - Hammer, Sickle, and Star

• Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP (1980) - Lotus

• Bahujan Samaj Party, BSP (1984) - Elephant

• Aam Aadmi Party, AAP (2012) - Broom

Below are the state parties of Kerala and their symbols.

• Communist Party of India, CPI (1925) - Corn and a sickle

• Revolutionary Socialist Party, RSP (1940) - Spade and Stoker

• Indian Union Muslim League, IUML (1948) - Ladder

• Kerala Congress, KEC (1964) - Autorickshaw

• Kerala Congress (M), KECM (1979) - Two Leaves

• Rashtriya Janata Dal, RJD (1997) - Lantern

• Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), NCP-SCP (2024) - Man blowing a turha

Fronts and parties in Kerala

1. United Democratic Front (UDF)

The center-left alliance led by the Indian National Congress (INC).

• Indian National Congress [INC]

• Indian Union Muslim League [IUML]

• Kerala Congress [KEC]

• Revolutionary Socialist Party [RSP]

• Kerala Congress (Jacob) [KECJ]

• Revolutionary Marxist Party of India [RMPI]

• Kerala Democratic Party [KDP]

2. Left Democratic Front (LDF)

The left-wing alliance led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPIM)

• Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPIM]

• Communist Party of India [CPI]

• Kerala Congress (M) [KECM]

• Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) [NCP-SCP]

• Rashtriya Janata Dal [RJD]

• Congress (Secular) [CONS]

• Kerala Congress (B) [KECB]

• Indian National League [INL]

3. National Democratic Alliance (NDA) / Other Parties

The right-wing coalition led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

• Bharatiya Janata Party [BJP]

• Bharath Dharma Jana Sena [BDJS]

• Kerala Congress Democratic [KCD]

Political history of Kerala

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee

The emergence of the Indian National Congress in 1885 attracted a lot of attention in Travancore, Cochin and Malabar. Although there was no organized political activity at that time, the early annual sessions of the Congress had delegates from Kerala. When Mahatma Gandhi started his political movement in British India in 1919, its echo was felt in Travancore as well. As a result of the efforts of the early freedom struggle leaders in Travancore, a Congress committee was formed in Travancore. The echo of the national movement that gained strength in British India did not go unnoticed in Cochin. In 1914, a meeting of the Home Rule League was also held in the Cochin state. Although a District Congress Committee was formed in Malabar in 1908, people took notice of it only during the First World War. The Congress organized district conferences in Malabar from 1916 to 1920. Initially, the KPCC had only five district committees. In 1921, the Indian National Congress formed the Kerala Provincial Congress Committee (KPCC) by merging the Travancore, Thalassery, Kozhikode, Palakkad and Kochi district committees. K. Madhavan Nair was subsequently elected as the first secretary of the committee. 

As part of the national movement, the first session of the Kerala Provincial Congress Committee was held on 23 April 1921 at Ottapalam under the presidency of Andhra Kesari T. Prakashan. Congress representatives from three regions, Malabar, Cochin and Travancore, participated in it. Following the session, when Madhavan Nair was arrested, K.P. Kesava Menon took over the position. The national freedom movement significantly influenced the political history of Kerala. As part of the national movement, the Civil Disobedience Movement was also held in Kerala. Hundreds of people in Kerala participated in the Civil Disobedience Movement. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee also made presence in Vaikom Satyagraha, Salt Satyagraha and Guruvayur Satyagraha. In 1938, a new organization called the Travancore State Congress was formed. The Responsible Government Movement in Travancore was organized under the auspices of the Travancore State Congress. Following the responsible governance agitation, the Vattiyoorkavu conference was organized by the Travancore State Congress on 22 December 1938, overcoming the challenges of the then Travancore Diwan C.P. Ramaswamy Iyer. The Vattiyoorkkavu conference was also a milestone in the struggles of the freedom struggle in Travancore. Similarly, a new political organization named Kochi Rajya Prajamandalam was formed on 26 January 1941 with V.R. Krishnanezhuthachan as the president in Kochi. In October 1940, the echo of Gandhiji's individual satyagraha against the British rule reached Kerala. In 1942, many Congress workers participated in the Quit India movement in Kerala and were arrested. 

After Indian independence in 1947, a new responsible government was formed in Travancore and Cochin. Panampilly Govinda Menon of Kochi Prajamandalam became Prime Minister in Cochin and Pattom A. Thanu Pillai became Prime Minister in Travancore. In 1st July 1949, the Travancore State Congress became the Thiru–Kochi State Congress. This party is divided into two faction as Praja Socialist Party, led by Thanu Pillai and other is A. J. John, C. Kesavan, T. M. Varghese faction which joined the Indian National Congress and disappeared. Kochi Prajamandalam is one of the first political parties which dispersed after completion of its objective. It later merged with Indian National Congress. The inaugural general election for the State Legislature of Kerala took place in February 1957 following the formation of Kerala State in 1 November 1956. The Indian National Congress (INC) lost the first assembly election in Kerala. In 1958, Kerala Students Union (KSU) was formed. It is the student wing of the Indian National Congress. In 1960, Congress-led alliance came to power after the 'Liberation Struggle' against Communist ministry. 

Communist Party

The All Travancore Youth League, which closely cooperated with the State Congress in its struggles for responsible governance, is known as the predecessor of the Communist Party in Travancore. The Youth League was formed in Travancore in 1931 with the enthusiasm of energetic young people like Ponnara Sridhar and N.P. Kurukkal. The Congress Socialist Party was an organization started by some leaders of the Congress itself who thought that the revolutionary path implemented by the Communist Party in Russia, deviating from the non-violent path accepted by Gandhiji and the Congress, was more preferable for India to gain independence. The Kerala Congress Socialist Party preferred to remain independent within the Congress. Following a conference held in Pinarayi by prominent leaders of the Congress Socialist Party in December 1939, the Kerala unit of the Communist Party was formed. The Communist Party came into existence on 26 January 1940. E.M.S. Namboodiripad, A.K.G., P.Krishna Pillai and others are prominent leaders of the Communist Party. Morazha Strike, Kayyur Strike, Punnapra Vayalar strike, Karivellur Strike and Paliyam Satyagraha are some of the struggles led by Communist Party in earlier days. 

The first assembly elections after the formation of Kerala were held between 28 February 1957 and 11 March 1957. In the elections, in which the Congress and the Communist Party contested, the Communist Party won a majority. After 155 days of President's Rule, EMS Namboothiripad assumed office as the first Chief Minister of Kerala on April 5, 1957. It was the first Communist ministry in Asia to come to power through ballot papers. In 1964, Communist Party split into two as Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI (M)) and Communist Party of India (CPI).

Bharatiya Janata Party

The BJP's presence in Kerala Politics trace back to the Bharatiya Jana Sangh established in 1951. After the formation of BJP at national level in 1980, the Kerala unit was officially organized, aiming to expand the party's ideology in a state dominated by the Congress and Left parties.