The recent Kerala Assembly elections ended the state’s last CPI(M)-led Left government, yet one ideological remnant remains visible. C P John, 68, a first-time MLA from the Communist Marxist Party, has joined the Congress-led UDF cabinet as Transport Minister under Chief Minister V D Satheesan.
John is now the sole communist minister in any Indian state government. This marks the first time in five decades that the Left holds no state power anywhere in the country. As leader of the Confederation of Indian Communists and Democratic Socialists, he intends to reinforce the coalition of smaller communist groups.
John defeated a Left-backed independent candidate to win the Thiruvananthapuram seat, helping the UDF end a decade of LDF rule. During the cabinet swearing-in, he chose a solemn affirmation rather than an oath invoking God, a choice shared by one other minister.
The CMP last secured an assembly seat in 2001, when founder M V Raghavan also served as a UDF minister. For the 2026 polls the Congress offered John a relatively secure constituency. He had previously lost twice from Kunnamkulam. Despite some internal UDF reservations, he contested Thiruvananthapuram and won by nearly 10,000 votes.
John left the CPI(M) in 1986 alongside Raghavan after the latter’s expulsion for advocating an alliance with the IUML. He helped establish the CMP and later served on the State Planning Board during UDF governments from 2001-06 and 2011-16.
After Raghavan’s death the party split, yet John maintained its independent line. Reflecting on his career, he stated there is no room for despair and that political recognition arrived when it did. He plans outreach to CPI(M) dissidents who won with UDF support and attributed the LDF defeat to internal communication failures and rebel activity in several constituencies.
