1957 Kerala Legislative Assembly election

The Kerala Legislative Assembly election of 1957 was the first assembly election in the Indian state of Kerala. The Communist Party of India won the election with 60 seats. The election led to the formation of first democratically elected communist government in India[1] and second in the world after San Marino.[2]

1957 Kerala Legislative Assembly election

28 February – 11 March 1957
All 126 seats in the Kerala Legislative Assembly 64 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	65.49%
First party Second party Third party   Leader E. M. S. Namboodiripad P. T. Chacko Pattom Thanu Pillai Party CPI INC PSP Leader's seat Nileshwaram Vazhoor Trivandrum I Seats won 60 43 9 Popular vote 20,59,547 22,09,251 6,28,261 Percentage 35.28% 37.85% 10.76%
Chief Minister before election Position established Chief Minister E. M. S. Namboodiripad Communist Party of India

State Reorganization

On 1 November 1956, under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, Kerala was formed by the merger of Travancore-Cochin state with the Malabar district (including Fort Cochin and the Laccadive Islands) of Madras State, Kasaragod taluk of the South Canara district and the Amindive Islands. The southern part of Travancore-Cochin, the five taluks of Agastheeswaram, Thovala, Kalkulam, Vilavahcode and Shencotta, were transferred from Travancore-Cochin to the Madras State.[3] After the reorganization, the assembly constituencies increased from 106 with 117 seats in 1954 to 114 with 126 seats in 1957.

Background

Following the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, the Malabar District of Madras state merged with Travancore-Cochin to form the new state of Kerala on 1 November 1956. The merger helped the Communist Party of India to increase their base in the region.[4] The ruling Indian National Congress lost the prominence due to the factionalism within the party. Furthermore, communalism and struggles against feudalism played a major role.[4][5]

Election

The Election Commission of India conducted elections to the newly created state between 28 February – 11 March 1957.[6] The elections were held to the 126 seats (114 constituencies) including 12 two member constituencies of which 11 and one reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes respectively, in which 406 candidates were contested. The voter turnout was 65.49%.[7]

Results

The result of the elections listed below:

 Summary of results of the 1957 Kerala Legislative Assembly election [8]

	Political party	Flag	Seats Contested	Won	% of Seats	Votes	Vote %	Vote % in contested seats
	Indian National Congress		124	43	34.13	2,209,251	37.85	38.1
	Communist Party of India		101	60	47.62	2,059,547	35.28	40.57
	Praja Socialist Party		65	9	7.14	628,261	10.76	17.48
	Revolutionary Socialist Party		28	0		188,553	3.23	11.12
	Independent		86	14	11.11	751,965	12.88	N/A
		Total seats	126	Voters	89,13,247	Turnout	58,37,577 (65.49 %)

In the election, five women candidates were elected out of nine candidates.[7][9]

Government formation

Communist Party of India formed the government with the support of five independents.[10] On 5 April 1957, E. M. S. Namboodiripad became the chief minister of Kerala and first non–Congress chief minister of the country (PSP ruled Travencore Cochin state before). But the government was dismissed in 1959 by the central government following the Liberation Struggle.[11]

See also

• E. M. S. Namboodiripad Ministry Term 1
• 1957 elections in India
• 1954 Travancore-Cochin Legislative Assembly election

References

1. James Manor (1994). Nehru to the Nineties: The Changing Office of Prime Minister in India. C. Hurst & Co. Publishers. p. 210. ISBN 978-1-85065-180-2.
2. Thomas Johnson Nossiter (1 January 1982). Communism in Kerala: A Study in Political Adaptation. University of California Press. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-520-04667-2.
3. "Reorganisation of States, 1955" (PDF). The Economic Weekly. 15 October 1955. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
4. P Radhakrishnan. Peasant Struggles, Land Reforms and Social Change: Malabar 1836–1982. Radhakrishnan. p. 71. ISBN 978-1-906083-16-8.
5. Communal Road to a Secular Kerala. Concept Publishing Company. 1 January 1989. p. 145. ISBN 978-81-7022-282-8.
6. "History of Kerala Legislature". kerala.gov.in. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
7. "Key highlights of General election, 1957 to the legislative assembly of Kerala" (pdf). Election Commission of India. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
8. "Statistical Report on General Election, 1957 : To the Legislative Assembly of Kerala". Election Commission of India. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
9. "Only 7 women make it to Kerala state Assembly". Economic Times. 16 May 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
10. Thomas Johnson Nossiter (1 January 1982). Communism in Kerala: A Study in Political Adaptation. University of California Press. pp. 122–123. ISBN 978-0-520-04667-2.
11. "Fresh light on 'Liberation Struggle'". The Hindu. 12 February 2008. Retrieved 9 April 2014.