The Left Democratic Front (LDF) led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has lost power in Kerala, ending the last remaining state ruled by a Communist-led government in India. The setback means that, for the first time since around 1970, no Left party holds office in any Indian state. It is a symbolic and political blow for a movement that once shaped governance in multiple regions. The defeat comes on the back of a weak showing in West Bengal for the Communist Party of India (Marxist), where the Left has struggled to remain relevant in recent elections. From dominance to decline in key states The Left’s decline has been long and steady rather than sudden. West Bengal, once its strongest base, was ruled by the Left Front from 1977 to 2011 under leaders such as Jyoti Basu and later Buddhadeb Bhattacharya. That era came to an end in 2011 when Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress swept to power following widespread protests over land acquisition issues in Singur and Nandigram.…