Left Front (West Bengal)

Left Front
বামফ্রন্ট
Bamfront
AbbreviationLF
ChairmanBiman Bose
Rajya Sabha LeaderBikash Ranjan Bhattacharjee
FoundersJyoti Basu
Founded1977 (1977)
Political positionLeft-wing
National affiliationIndian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance
Colours  Red
Lok Sabha
0 / 42
Rajya Sabha
1 / 16
West Bengal Legislative Assembly
0 / 294
Gorkhaland Territorial Administration
0 / 50
Gram Panchayats
3,242 / 63,229
Panchayat Samitis
18 / 9,730
Zilla Parishads
2 / 928
Municipalities
1 / 108
Election symbol

The Left Front (Bengali: বামফ্রন্ট) is an alliance of left-wing political parties in the Indian state of West Bengal. It was formed in January 1977, the founding parties being the Communist Party of India (Marxist), All India Forward Bloc, the Revolutionary Socialist Party, the Marxist Forward Bloc, the Revolutionary Communist Party of India and the Biplobi Bangla Congress. Other parties joined in later years, most notably the Communist Party of India.

The Left Front ruled the state of West Bengal for 34 years in seven consecutive terms 1977–2011, five with Jyoti Basu as Chief Minister and two under Buddhadev Bhattacharya. The CPI(M) is the dominant force in the alliance. In the 2011 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election the Left Front failed to gain a majority of seats and left office. As of 2016 Biman Bose is the Chairman of the West Bengal Left Front Committee.