The Tamil Nadu Assembly election is scheduled to be held on April 23. The decision of the CPI and CPM, which are part of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, to not contest in Coimbatore this time has drawn attention.

In the past 74 years, Communist parties have contested in Coimbatore in every election. In this context, the decision to abstain from contesting in the district has now become a subject of discussion.Since 1952, either the Communist Party of India or the Communist Party of India (Marxist) had fielded at least one candidate in one of the constituencies in Coimbatore. However, this long-standing practice has come to an end in this election.

The district was once a thriving industrial hub. The National Textile Corporation (NTC) mills and private spinning mills helped nurture a strong trade union culture. This created a natural political base for the CPI and CPM. By intervening in labour issues, both parties enjoyed significant influence in the region.However, the gradual closure of NTC and private mills reduced the influence of trade unions. Out of the seven NTC mills in Tamil Nadu, five were located in Coimbatore. After the COVID-19 pandemic, all of them ceased operations.

Speaking on the matter, a CPI functionary said, “Over time, the weakening of trade unions has eroded the traditional support base of the Left in this district. This has had notable political consequences. Since the first Assembly election in 1952, Left parties have consistently fielded candidates either independently or as part of alliances, and have won key constituencies across the district.”

Historically, Coimbatore East alone has given five victories to the CPM. Perur and Singanallur have delivered two wins each, while the CPI won in Valparai in 1980 and 2011. In the Coimbatore Lok Sabha constituency, the CPI has won five times (1957, 1971, 1974, 1977, 2004), while the CPM has secured victory three times (1967, 2009, 2019).

Political analysts point out that alliance negotiations are the primary reason behind the absence of Left candidates in Coimbatore district in the 2026 Assembly election. The CPI and CPM had demanded Valparai and Singanallur constituencies in the DMK alliance, which were not allotted to them.

“However, our objective is to ensure the victory of the DMK-led alliance in all 10 Assembly constituencies in Coimbatore. For this, our party has already begun election work,” CPM district secretary C. Padmanabhan told DT Next.