Secular Democratic Alliance

Not to be confused with Secular Progressive Alliance, Secular Democratic Forces, Secular Proggresive Front (2002-2012), or Secular Progressive Front.
Secular Democratic Alliance
ধর্মনিরপেক্ষ গণতান্ত্রিক জোট
AbbreviationSDA
Leader
Lok Sabha LeaderAdhir Ranjan Chowdhury
Rajya Sabha LeaderBikash Ranjan Bhattacharya
Founded2024
Preceded bySanjukta Morcha
IdeologyCommunism[1]
Marxism-Leninism[2][3]
Secularism[4]
Left-wing nationalism
Socialism
Marxism
Revolutionary socialism[5]
Political positionLeft-wing
(including centre-left and far-left factions)
AllianceIndian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (National level)
Seats in Lok Sabha
2 / 42
Seats in Rajya Sabha
1 / 16
Seats in West Bengal Legislative Assembly
0 / 294

Secular Democratic Alliance[6][7] (Bengali: ধর্মনিরপেক্ষ গণতান্ত্রিক জোট) is a political alliance formed ahead of the 2024 Indian general election in West Bengal by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Indian National Congress in opposition to the Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party.[8][9][10]

Background[edit]

Following the heavy defeats in the 2011 Legislative Assembly election and the 2014 general election, the CPI(M) welcomed ideas of the alliance even with non-communist parties. The first signs came when in the Siliguri municipal election, CPI(M) made some local understanding with INC resulting in CPI(M) leader Ashok Bhattacharya being appointed as the mayor. This success got popularity as "Siliguri Model".[11] After the success of the model, in the long run, some Congress and CPI(M) leader advocated for a Left-Congress alliance.[12] This gradually materialized into "alliance" between INC and Left Front in all the seats except in Murshidabad district.

Given the political history of West Bengal, the materialisation of an alliance between the Congress & the CPI(M), 2 parties that have been bitter rivals of each other since the 1970s & have a history of unleashing political violence against each other's cadres, took the political circles of the state by surprise. After much dispute and secession of SUCI(C) and CPI(ML)L from the Left Front, both Congress and Communists formed an understanding basis of what they called "seat-sharing", strongly objecting to the use of the word "alliance".

In 2016, Mahajot[13][14] was formed on the broad agreement that some political parties proposed before the 2016 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election for fighting against the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal and the Bharatiya Janata Party on national level. Left Front consisting of CPI(M), CPI, RSP, AIFB and DSP along with INC released their respective candidate list in several rounds after consultations and bargaining.[15][16] However, the alliance failed to gain the majority seats in the assembly elections.[17] Afterwards, ahead of 2019 Indian general election, the alliance between the Congress and the Left Front is off the cards as both camps could not agree on a seat-sharing formula for Lok Sabha elections.[18][19]

Subsequently, Mahajot succeeded to Sanjukta Morcha[20] in 2021 with the joining of ISF in the alliance. After the 2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the head of Congress, declared the end of any alliance with Indian Secular Front (ISF).[21] Later on CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said the electoral alliances was over after the polls, but the political understanding between Left, Congress and ISF will continue.[22][23] Afterwards, ahead of 2024 Indian general election, ISF decided to contest alone in the Lok Sabha polls due to some differences in seat sharing and marks the end of alliance with Left and Congress.[24] Thereafter, Sanjukta Morcha succeeded to LF-INC Alliance[25] or Secular Democratic Alliance with the withdrawal of Indian Secular Front from the alliance.

Members[edit]

Party Flag Symbol Leader(s)
Communist Party of India (Marxist) Mohammed Salim
Indian National Congress Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury
Revolutionary Socialist Party Tapan Hor
Communist Party of India Swapan Banerjee
All India Forward Bloc Naren Chatterjee

Electoral history[edit]

West Bengal Legislative Assembly election
Election Year Overall votes % of overall votes Total seats seats won/
seats contensted 		+/- in seats Sitting side
2021
 59,122,500 8.68% 294
0 / 294
 Decrease76 —

Ahead of the 2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election, Indian Secular Front joined the alliance with Left Front and Indian National Congress.[26] The alliance was announced in a rally of Left Front in the Brigade Parade Ground.[27] The Left Parties will contest in 165 seats, Congress in 92 and ISF in 37 seats. Despite a spirited campaign, both the Left Front and the Indian National Congress drew a blank in the election with a considerable decrease in their respective vote shares. That was the first time when, the West Bengal Legislative Assembly was devoid of any Left Front or INC MLA.[28] On the other hand, Indian Secular Front[a] wrested the Bhangar Assembly constituency from the Trinamool Congress. However, ISF left the alliance in 2024.

The Left Front supported Indian National Congress candidate Bayron Biswas for 2023 by-election in Sagardighi Assembly constituency.[29] He defeated TMC candidate Debasish Bandopadhyay by a margin of 22,986 votes. However, Biswas later defected to the TMC.

On 2 March 2023, CPI(M) state secretary Mohammed Salim, in a press meeting, said that smaller anti-TMC and anti-BJP forces supported INC candidate Bayron Biswas. He also added that alliance of Left and Centrist forces and other parties will continue in 2023 Panchayat elections and 2024 parliamentary election.[30] In May 2023, he said that Left, Congress and ISF are finalising seat-sharing arrangements for the 2023 Panchayat elections and will contest together in 2024 Parliamentary election.[31]Later on, ahead of Lok Sabha polls ISF decided to contest independently breaking the relations with CPI(M) and Congress.[32]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ contesting in the name and symbol of the Rashtriya Secular Majlis Party

References[edit]

  1. ^ Chakrabarty, Bidyut (2014). Communism in India: Events, Processes and Ideologies. Oxford University Press. p. 314. ISBN 978-0-199-97489-4.
  2. ^ "Brief History of CPI - CPI". Archived from the original on 9 December 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  3. ^ Bidyut Chakrabarty (2014). Communism in India: Events, Processes and Ideologies. Oxford University Press. p. 61. ISBN 978-0-19-997489-4.
  4. ^ Soper, J. Christopher; Fetzer, Joel S. (2018). Religion and Nationalism in Global Perspective. Cambridge University Press. pp. 200–210. ISBN 978-1-107-18943-0.
  5. ^ "Party constitution". India: All India Forward Bloc. 2017. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  6. ^ Suhrid Sarkar Chattopadhyay (30 March 2016). "Uniting 'secular, democratic' forces". frontline.thehindu.com. Kolkata: The Hindu.
  7. ^ "Bengal CPI(M) for unity of Left, democratic and secular forces". Business Standard. 8 Feb 2018.
  8. ^ "Lok Sabha polls 2024: Left, Congress talks on in West Bengal to keep BJP, TMC at bay". The New Indian Express. 19 March 2024.
  9. ^ "Sonia Gandhi gives nod to Left-Congress alliance in Bengal". August 24, 2019.
  10. ^ Pradipta Tapadar (January 1, 2016). "West Bengal Assembly Elections 2016: CPI(M), Left Divided Over Alliance With Congress". Pradipta Tapadar.
  11. ^ "'Siliguri Model': How the Left-Congress 'alliance' was forged". The Indian Express. 17 April 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  12. ^ "Left-Congress alliance in West Bengal Elections 2016, hinted Left leaders". infoelections.
  13. ^ "CPI-M and Congress alliance to continue in Bengal". The Times of India. 23 May 2016.
  14. ^ "West Bengal: Left-Congress alliance weak in arithmetic and chemistry". The Indian Express. 22 May 2016.
  15. ^ "West Bengal Assembly Election Left Front Candidate List 2016". Infoelection.
  16. ^ "West Bengal Assembly Election Congress Candidate List 2016". Infoelection.
  17. ^ Romita Datta (May 19, 2016). "West Bengal results: It's Mamata all the way, Left-Congress experiment fails".
  18. ^ Soumya Das (February 19, 2019). "Left-Congress alliance in a mess".
  19. ^ "We're done: Congress calls off alliance with the Left in West Bengal". India Today. 18 March 2019.
  20. ^ "With Brigade Rally, Left-Congress-ISF's 'Sanyukta Morcha' Kicks Of Bengal Poll Campaign". Outlook India. 2021-02-28. Retrieved 2021-03-01.
  21. ^ "Bengal Congress chief Adhir Chowdhury does not want ISF as an ally in future". The Hindu. PTI. 2021-05-10. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2021-05-15.
  22. ^ "Samyukta Morcha over, says Yechury; age bar lowered". The Statesman. 14 August 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  23. ^ "CPM: ভোট শেষ, সংযুক্ত মোর্চাও শেষ, স্পষ্ট করলেন Yechury, একতরফা সিদ্ধান্ত: Adhir". Zee 24 Ghanta (in Bengali). 17 September 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  24. ^ "Left Front's electoral understanding with the Indian Secular Front falls flat". The Hindu. 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  25. ^ "রাজ্যে ফের বাম-কংগ্রেস জোট, আসনরফা নিয়ে লক্ষ্মীবারই বৈঠক সেলিম-অধীরের". Sangbad Pratidin. 14 Feb 2024. Retrieved 14 Feb 2024.
  26. ^ "Left-Cong-ISF Sanyukta Morcha kick-starts Bengal poll campaign". Tribuneindia News Service. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  27. ^ "Bengal Elections: Million Plus People at Brigade Rally Heralds Left-Led Sanjukta Morcha". NewsClick. 2021-03-01. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  28. ^ "The rise of BJP and fall of leftist and Congress in West Bengal". The Business Standard. 3 May 2021.
  29. ^ Left-Backed Congress Candidate Leads Trinamool In Bengal's Sagardighi, retrieved 2023-03-04
  30. ^ Press Conference, retrieved 2023-03-04
  31. ^ The fight in West Bengal in 2024 will be between the Trinamool Congress-BJP on the one hand and the CPI(M)-Congress-ISF on the other, 28 May 2023, retrieved 2023-06-29
  32. ^ "ISF parts ways with left-Congress alliance in West Bengal, to go solo at elections". maktoobmedia.com. 8 April 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
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