All India Forward Bloc
Leader	Debabrata Biswas
Founded	1939
Main Office	28, Gurudwara Rakab Ganj Road, New Delhi 110001
Alliance	Left Front
Ideology	Leftwing Nationalism
Publications	Towards Socialism, Lokmat
Website
See also	Politics of India Political parties in India Elections in India Debabrata Biswas (Bangla: দেবব্রত বিশ্বাস) is one of the most well known (and controversial) exponents of Rabindra_Sangeet. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Humayuns Tomb, situated in New Delhi, has an architectural design similar to the Taj Mahal. ... Left Front election propaganda in Kolkata 2004 DSP-meeting in Kolkata West Bengal Left Front Committee meeting for solidarity with Tripura Left Front is an alliance of Indian leftist parties. ... In politics, left-wing, political left, leftism, or simply the left, are terms which refer (with no particular precision) to the segment of the political spectrum typically associated with any of several strains of socialism, social democracy, or liberalism (especially in the American sense of the word), or with opposition... Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix Nationalism is a form of identity that holds that (ethnically or culturally defined) nations are the fundamental units for human social life, and makes certain cultural and political claims based upon that belief; in particular, the claim that the nation is the... According to its constitution, India is a sovereign socialist secular democratic republic. ... Political parties in India lists political parties in India. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

The All India Forward Bloc is a leftwing nationalist political party in India. It emerged as a fraction within the Indian National Congress in 1939, led by Subhas Chandra Bose. Reestablished as an independent political party after the independence of India. Has its main stronghold in West Bengal. A political party is an organization that seeks to attain political power within a government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns. ... Indian National Congress (also known as the Congress Party or Congress (I), abbreviated INC) is a major political party in India. ... Netaji poster in Thiruvananthapuram Subhas Chandra Bose (January 23, 1897 - August 18, 1945) also known as Netaji, was a Orissa born and Bengal based Indian leader of the movement to win independence from British rule. ... West Bengal (Bengali: পশ্চিম বঙ্গ, Hindi: पश्चिम बंगाल, Poshchim Bôngo) is a state in the eastern region of India. ...

History

Formation of the Forward Bloc

Netaji poster in Thiruvananthapuram

The Forward Bloc of the Indian National Congress was formed on 3 May 1939 by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, who had resigned from the presidency of the Indian National Congress on April 29 after being outmanouvered by Gandhi. The formation of the Forward Bloc was announced to the public at a rally in Calcutta. Initially the aim of the Forward Bloc was to rally all the leftwing sections within the Congress and develop an alternative leadership inside the Congress. Bose became the president of the Forward Bloc and S.S. Cavesheer its vice-president. A Forward Bloc Conference was held in Bombay in the end of June. At that conference the constitution and programme of the Forward Bloc were approved.^[1] In July 1939 Subhas Chandra Bose announced the Committee of the Forward Bloc. It had Subhas Chandra Bose as president, S.S. Cavesheer from Punjab as its vice-president, Lal Shankarlal from Delhi, as its general secretary and Pandit B Tripathi and Khurshed Nariman from Bombay as secretaries. Other prominent members were Annapurniah from Andhra Pradesh, Senapati Bapat, Hari Vishnu Kamnath from Bombay and Pasumpon U Muthuramalingam Thevar from Tamilnadu. Satya Ranjan Bakshi, was appointed as the secretary of the Bengal Provincial Forward Bloc.^[2] All India Forward Bloc poster i Kerala celebrating Netaji Subhash Chandra Boses birthday 23rd January. ... All India Forward Bloc poster i Kerala celebrating Netaji Subhash Chandra Boses birthday 23rd January. ... Thiruvananthapuram (Malayalam: തിരുവനന്തപുരം), formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of Thiruvananthapuram District. ... May 3 is the 123rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (124th in leap years). ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Indian National Congress (also known as the Congress Party or Congress (I), abbreviated INC) is a major political party in India. ... Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (October 2, 1869 – January 30, 1948) (Devanagari: मोहनदास करमचन्द गांधी, Gujarati મોહનદાસ કરમચંદ ગાંધી), called Mahatma Gandhi, was the charismatic leader who brought the cause of Indias independence from British colonial rule to world attention. ... This article is on Calcutta/Kolkata, the city. ... This article or section should be merged with Mumbai Mumbai (previously known as Bombay) is the worlds most populous conurbation, and is the sixth most populous agglomeration in the world. ... This article details the Indian state of Punjab. ... It has been suggested that National Capital Territory of Delhi be merged into this article or section. ... Khursheed Framji Nariman (also known as Veer Nariman) was one of the second generation of Parsi stalwarts in the Indian National Congress. ... Andhra Pradesh : (Telugu: ఆంధ్ర ప్రదేశ్, Urdu: آندھرا پردیش, IPA: / /), is a state in South India. ...

In August the same year Bose began publishing a newspaper titled Forward Bloc. He travelled around the country, rallying support for his new political project.^[3]

Nagpur conference

The following year, on June 20-22 1940, the Forward Bloc held its first All India Conference in Nagpur. The conference declared the Forward Bloc to be a socialist political party, and the date of June 22 is considered as the founding date of the party by the Forward Bloc itself. The conference passed a resolution titled 'All Power to the Indian People', urging militant action for struggle against British colonial rule. Subhas Chandra Bose was elected as the president of the party and H.V. Kamath the general secretary.^[4] June 20 is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 194 days remaining. ... June 22 is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 192 days remaining. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... Concern has been expressed that this article or section is missing information about: Localities in the city (See discussion page). ...

Arrest and exile of Bose

Soon thereafter, on July 2, Bose was arrested and detained in Presidency Jail, Calcutta. In January 1941 he escaped from house arrest, and clandestinely went into exile. He travelled to the Soviet Union via Afghanistan, seeking Soviet support to the Indian independence struggle. Stalin declined Bose's request, and he then travelled to Germany. In Berlin he set up the Free India Centre, and rallied the Indian Legion.^[5] July 2 is the 183rd day of the year (184th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 182 days remaining. ... This article is on Calcutta/Kolkata, the city. ... This article is about the capital of Germany. ... During World War 2 the Tiger Legion was a unit of the German Wehrmacht made up of men from India. ...

In August 1942 the British authorities banned the Forward Bloc. Its offices around the country were ransacked. In 1943 Bose was transported to Asia, were he took over the leadership of the Indian National Army. During the final phase of the war the INA fought alongside the Japanese against the British army. This article is about the year. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... The flag used by Indian National Army during World War II. The Indian National Army (I.N.A) or Azad Hind Fauj was an auxiliary force to the Imperial Japanese Army in its southern mainland campaign during the Second World War. ...

Post-war reorganization

At the end of the war, the Forward Bloc was reorganized. In February 1946 R.S. Ruiker organised a All India Active Workers Conference at Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. The conference declared the formation of the 'FB Workers Assembly', in practice the legal cover of the still illegal Forward Bloc. Notably some leading communists from Bombay, like K.N. Joglekar and Soli Batliwalli, joined the 'FB Workers Assembly'. The Workers Assembly conference declared that the "Forward Bloc is a a Socialist Party, accepting the theory of class struggle in its fullest implications and a programme of revolutionary mass action for the attainmen of Socialism leading to a Classless Society."^[6] Jabalpur is a city in the Madhya Pradesh state of India. ... Madhya Pradesh (मध्य प्रदेश) is a state in central India. ... The Communist Party of India (CPI) is a political party in India. ... This article or section should be merged with Mumbai Mumbai (previously known as Bombay) is the worlds most populous conurbation, and is the sixth most populous agglomeration in the world. ...

The Ahead of the 1946 assembly elections the ban on the Bloc was lifted in June that year. The Working Committee of the Forward Bloc met on June 10.^[7]

Elections to the Constituent Assembly and to provincial legislatures were held in December 1946. The Forward Bloc contested the elections. H.V. Kamath won a seat in the Constituent Assembly and Jyotish Chandra Ghosh, Hemantha Kumar Basu and Lila Roy were elected to the Bengal Legislative Assembly.^[8]

However, the Bloc was clearly divided along ideological lines. One section was influenced by Marxism whereas the other upheld 'Subhasism', a syncretic ideology consisting of socialism, nationalism and India spiritualism. Marxism is the philosophy, social theory and political practice based on the works of Karl Marx, a 19th century German, Jewish, socialist philosopher, economist, journalist, and revolutionary. ... Socialism refers to a broad array of doctrines or political movements that envisage a socio-economic system in which property and the distribution of wealth are subject to social control. ... Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix Nationalism is a form of identity that holds that (ethnically or culturally defined) nations are the fundamental units for human social life, and makes certain cultural and political claims based upon that belief; in particular, the claim that the nation is the...

Arrah conference

The Bloc held its 2nd All India Conference in Arrah, Bihar on January 12-14 1947. S.S. Cavesheer (a leading member of the Subhasist sector) was elected president and Sheel Bhadra Yagee (a leading member of the Marxist sector) was elected general secretary.^[9] The party took the name 'All India Forward Bloc'. The conference denounced the understanding between the Congress and the British government for the Independence of India, and called upon the Forward Bloc members present in the Constituent Assembly to withdraw from it.^[10]Subsequently, a national council was held in Bauria, West Bengal, which reaffirmed the demand of boycotting the Constituent Assembly as well as issuing a decree that Bloc members of state legislatures would resign. Arrah is a town in India, located 36 miles from Patna, in the state of Bihar. ... For other uses, see Bihar (disambiguation). ... January 12 is the 12th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... January 14 is the 14th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... West Bengal (Bengali: পশ্চিম বঙ্গ, Hindi: पश्चिम बंगाल, Poshchim Bôngo) is a state in the eastern region of India. ...

Split between Yagee and Ruikar

Following Independence and Partition, the party national council met in Varanasi February 1948. The national council meeting was also preceded by a decision of the Indian National Congress in the beginning of the year to expel all dissenting tendencies within the Congress, including the Forward Bloc. Thus the party decided to renounce any links with the Congress once and for all, and reconstruct itself as an independent opposition party.^[11] Moreover, it passed a resolution that the party be divided into a Forward Bloc for India and a Forward Bloc for the new nation of Pakistan. This would soon prove to be very controversial. The general secretary Yagee did, in line with the Varanasi resolution, dissolve the Bengal committee of the Forward Bloc and set-up ad hoc committees for West Bengal and East Bengal. Now the division between 'Marxists' and 'Subhasists' resurfaced. The 'Subhasists', and S.S. Cavesheer in particular, criticized Yagee's actions. Yagee resigned from the post of general secretary. Britains holdings on the Indian subcontinent were granted independence in 1947 and 1948, becoming four new independent states: India, Burma (now Myanmar), Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), and Pakistan (including East Pakistan, modern-day Bangladesh). ... Kashi redirects here. ... Bengal, known as Bôngo (Bengali: বঙ্গ), Bangla (বাংলা), Bôngodesh (বঙ্গদেশ), or Bangladesh (বাংলাদেশ) in Bangla, is a region in the northeast of South Asia. ... West Bengal (Bengali: পশ্চিম বঙ্গ, Hindi: पश्चिम बंगाल, Poshchim Bôngo) is a state in the eastern region of India. ... East Bengal was the name used during two periods in the 20th century for a territory that roughly included the modern state of Bangladesh. ...

The split was now a fact. The 'Subhasist' group, led by Ruiker and Cavesheer, called for a conference in Chandranagar, West Bengal. Their conference was held on December 29-31. On the same dates Yagee organised a conference in Calcutta. Effectively there was now two Forward Blocs, the Forward Bloc led by Ruiker and the Forward Bloc led by Yagee. Yagee was elected general secretary and K.N. Joglekar chairman of the Yagee-led group.^[12] Notably, the Yagee-led group adopted a red flag with a leaping tiger and a hammer and sickle. West Bengal (Bengali: পশ্চিম বঙ্গ, Hindi: पश्चिम बंगाल, Poshchim Bôngo) is a state in the eastern region of India. ... In 1948 the recently reorganized All India Forward Bloc split into two factions, which came to function as separate parties. ... Standard hammer and sickle image The symbol as it appeared on the Soviet flag The hammer and sickle is a symbol used to represent communism and communist political parties. ...

The same year Yagee's party decided to join the United Socialist Organisation of India, a front led by Subhas Chandra Bose's elder brother Sarat Chandra Bose. Joglekar revolted against this decision. His followers, which were found in West Bengal, Bihar, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, rallied to form the Forward Communist Party. Sarat Bose on an official postage stamp issued by Government of India. ... Forward Communist Party was a political party in India. ...

The Yagee-led party did however survive Joglekar's departure. Yagee was able to push through a merger between the Forward Bloc and the Desh Sevak Party, led by INA officers General Mohan Singh and Colonel Guridal Singh Dhillon, in October 1949. Both had worked closely with Subhas Chandra Bose. They had both been amongst the accused in the Red Fort trials. Now, Mohan Singh was appointed chairman of the Forward Bloc and Dhillon was appointed as its general secretary. This merger gave a considerable boost to the party. In June 1951 the majority of the Ruiker-led Forward Bloc reunified with the party. A joint central committee meeting was held on June 23, which confirmed the merger of the two parties. Mohan Singh and Dhillon were re-elected as the party chairman and general secretary. Desh Sevak Party was a political party in India. ... June 23 is the 174th day of the year (175 th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 191 days remaining. ...

1952 elections

In the 1952 general election the party contested as 'Forward Bloc (Marxist)', a denomination that differentiated it from the rump 'Forward Bloc (Ruiker)'.

In Tripura a united front was formed by the Communist Party of India, Tripura Ganatantrik Sangha, Ganamukti Parishad, Ganatantrik Nari Samiti and independents for to contest the election to the Tripura electoral college (whose function was to appoint a Rajya Sabha delegate from Tripura) jointly. The Forward Bloc participated in mass rallies on October 2 and December 2, 1951. However, just before the election the Forward Bloc withdrew from the front and decided to contest three of the 30 seats on their own. None of the Forward Bloc candidates were elected.^[13] Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tripura Tripura (Bengali: ত্রিপুরা, Hindi: त्रिपुरा) is a state in North East India. ... The Communist Party of India (CPI) is a political party in India. ... Ganamukti Parishad flag Mukti Parishader Itikatha Tripura Rajaer Upajati Ganamukti Parishad (Tripura State Tribal Peoples Liberation Council) In 1948 the Mukti Parishad (Liberation Council, later renamed Ganamukti Parishad) was formed as a struggle front against the despotic rule of the monarchic leadership of Tripura. ... Executive President Vice-President Prime Minister Dy. ... October 2 is the 275th day (276th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 90 days remaining. ... December 2 is the 336th day (337th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ...

The 5th party conference (a 4th party plenum had been held in Ingota, U.P. in 1949) was held in Puri, Orissa on December 28-31 1952. Mohan Singh was elected chairman and Dhillon as general secretary.^[14] Uttar Pradesh (Hindi: , Urdu: اتر پردیش, IPA: ), also popularly known by its abbreviation U.P., is the most populous and fifth largest state in the Union of India. ... Puri can mean: Puri, a city in the Indian state of Orissa, which is famous for the Jagannath temple and the serene beaches located there . ... Orissa (Hindi: ) (2001 provisional pop. ... December 28 is the 362nd day of the year (363rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 3 days remaining. ... December 31 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

In 1953 a group of party leaders from West Bengal, like Amar Bose, Satyapriya Banerjee and Suhurit Chaudhury, were expelled for breaking party discipline. The expellees formed the Marxist Forward Bloc. Marxist Forward Bloc, splinter-group of All India Forward Bloc. ...

Expulsion of Yagee and Singh

In 1955 the Indian National Congress adopted socialism as its policy. Thus leaders like Yagee and Singh then proposed that as the Congress had become a socialist party, the Forward Bloc ought to merge with it. Singh and Yagee, without consulting the Central Committee nor the party membership, declared the unification of the Forward Bloc into the Congress. Many sections of the party disagreed with this move, and a Central Committee meeting was held in Nagpur May 11-15. The Central Committee decided to expel Singh and Yagee. Hemanta Kumar Bose was elected as the new chairman and R.K. Haldulkar as general secretary.^[15] This team would continue in their posts until Bose's murder in 1971. U. Muthuramalingam Thevar from Tamil Nadu was elected as deputy chairman of the party. Concern has been expressed that this article or section is missing information about: Localities in the city (See discussion page). ... May 11 is the 131st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (132nd in leap years). ... May 15 is the 135th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (136th in leap years). ... Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ...

Following the 1955 split the party would enjoy a relatively long period without any major splits.

Death of U.M. Thevar

The party stalwart in Tamil Nadu, U. Muthuramalingam Thevar, died on October 30, 1963. Following his death a power-struggle began between two of his disciples, Sasivarna Thevar and P.K. Mookiah Thevar. Mookiah Thevar emerged victorious and Sasivarna Thevar left to form his own party, the Subhasist Forward Bloc. October 30 is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 62 days remaining. ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... Subhasist Forward Bloc was a political party in Tamil Nadu, India. ...

A bye-election for the Aruppukottai Lok Sabha constituency seat vacated by U. Muthuramalingam Thevar's death was held in 1964, in which the Forward Bloc was defeated for the first time.^[16]

Progressive Front in Tripura

In 1965 the party joined a 'Progressive Front' in Tripura. The front consisted of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, the Forward Bloc and a break-away faction of the Socialist Party. The front demanded nationwide land reforms, strengthening of the national defence, withdrawal from the Commonwealth, nationalisation of foreign capital, a rational food policy, release of all political prisoners and scrapping of the Indo-American agreement of food supply. Existence of the new front was declared at a meeting in Agartala on November 17. Mass rallies of the front were held in Belonia on November 28 and then in Birchandra Bazar (near Belonia) on December 1.^[17] The front did not last, though, as in the 1967 election the communist parties aligned with a splinter-group of the Congress Party. The Forward Bloc did not present any candidates in that election.^[18] The Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M), is a political party in India. ... Socialist Party has been the name of several political parties in India, all of which have their roots in the Congress Socialist Party formed during the freedom struggle. ... Land reform (also agrarian reform although that can have a broader meaning) is the government-initiated or government-backed redistribution of — i. ... The English noun Commonwealth dates originally from the fifteenth century. ... Agartala is the capital of the Indian state of Tripura. ... Belonia is a town and a nagar panchayat in South Tripura district in the state of Tripura, India. ...

1968 split in Tamil Nadu

In 1968 two influential party leaders in Tamil Nadu Velayudham Nayar (then a central committee member of the party) and S. Andi Thevar broke away from AIFB and founded the Revolutionary Forward Bloc. Nayar and Thevar accused the Forward Bloc of having deviated from its socialist principles through its cooperation with the rightwing Swatantra Party.^[19]. Revolutionary Forward Bloc was a political party in Tamil Nadu, India. ... Socialism refers to a broad array of doctrines or political movements that envisage a socio-economic system in which property and the distribution of wealth are subject to social control. ... Swatantra Party (swatantra in Hindi means independence) was a political party in India founded by Chakravarti Rajagopalachari in 1959. ...

Split in the Indian National Congress

In 1969 a major split in the Indian National Congress. Indira Gandhi had entered into open conflict with the traditional Congress leadership. Effectively two separate Congress parties appeared, the Congress(R) led by Indira and the Congress(O) led by Kamaraj. The split was in many ways a left-right one, with Indira whipping up populism against the established party elites. The Forward Bloc did in some ways welcome the new developments. It appreciated Indira's stands and reformulated its anti-Congress line to focus mainly opposition to the traditional Congress elite (i.e. the Congress(O)). In the 1969 presidential elections, AIFB supported Indira's candidate V.V. Giri. This caused an abrupt break-up of the Swatantra-AIFB alliance in Tamil Nadu, as the Swatantra Party sought to align itself with the Congress(O).^[20] Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Hindi: , pronunciation: / /) (November 19, 1917 – October 31, 1984) was Prime Minister of India from January 19, 1966 to March 24, 1977, and again from January 14, 1980 until her assassination on October 31, 1984. ... K. Kamaraj (July 15, 1903–1975) was an Indian politician widely known as a kingmaker in Indian politics. ... Varahagiri Venkata Giri (August 10, 1894 - June 23, 1980), commonly known as V. V. Giri, was the fourth president of the Republic of India (August 24, 1969 - August 23, 1974). ...

1971-1972 elections

On February 20, just ahead of the 1971 general elections, the All India Forward Bloc chairman Hemantha Kumar Bose was murdered in Calcutta. An emergency central committee meeting was held on February 24, which appointed P.K. Mookiha Thevar as the new chairman of the party.^[21] This article is on Calcutta/Kolkata, the city. ...

In the 1971 Lok Sabha election, the Forward Bloc launched 24 candidates around the country. Two were elected, P.K. Mookiah Thevar from Ramanthapuram^[22] and Jambuwantrao Dhote from Nagpur^[23]. The party contested 3 seats in the interior of Maharashtra, were it preformed well. Dhote, who was then known as Vidarbha ka Sher (the Lion of Vidarbha), had joined the Forward Bloc and campaigned for a separate Vidarbha state with the Forward Bloc as his platform. Dhote was hugely popular in the region at the time, and could draw crows of hundreds of thousands to his meetings.^[24] Concern has been expressed that this article or section is missing information about: Localities in the city (See discussion page). ... Maharashtra (Devanagari: महाराष्ट्र mahārāṣṭra, literally: Great Nation; IPA: / /)( ) is Indias third largest state in terms of area and second largest in terms of population after Uttar Pradesh. ... Vidarbha is the north-eastern region of Maharashtra state, now forming two divisions (Nagpur and Amravati). ...

In Tamil Nadu the party contested one seat, Ramanthapuram, with the support of its allies in the Progressive Front (most notably the Congress(R) and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam). Meanwhile the Forward Bloc played an important role in securing Mukkulathor votes for its Progressive Front allies.^[20] To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

In West Bengal the party contested 10 Lok Sabha seats. The party obtained some significant votage in constituencies like Cooch Behar (22.17%) and Birbhum (19.70%), but in general it was defeated by the CPI(M) candidates.^[25] To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Birbhum is a district of the Indian state of West Bengal. ...

Moreover the party contested 3 seats in Bihar, 1 in Haryana, 1 in Madhya Pradesh, 4 in Uttar Pradesh and 1 in Delhi. In total the candidates of the party obtained 962 971 votes (0.66% of the national vote).^[25]

In the 1971 state legislative assembly election in Orissa, the party contested four seats. It got 8393 votes (0.19% of the state-wide vote), but was not close to winning any seat.^[26] In Tamil Nadu the party contested 9 seats in the southern part of the state within the framework of the Progressive Front.^[20]. Out of these nine candidates, seven won. In total its vote stood at 268 721 (1.71% of the state-wide vote). One of its candidate came second and in the Mudukulathor constituency (that had been the epicentre of the violent 1957 Ramnad riots) the AIFB candidate R. Rathina Thevar came third with 17244 votes (31.02%). The most spectacular victory was that of P.K. Mookiah Thevar (who contested Lok Sabha and assembly elections simultaneously) who got 49292 votes (74.46%) in the Usilampatti constituency, defeating S. Andi Thevar of the Revolutionary Forward Bloc.^[27] Lastly in West Bengal the party contested 52 constituencies, but could only win three seats. Its vote stood at 374 141 (2.90% of the state-wide vote).^[28]

On March 28, 1972 the party was able to win a seat in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Council (the upper house of the regional parliament) for the first time. S. Sakthi Mohan, the editor of the regional party organ Kannagi, was elected with the votes of the AIFB, DMK, PSP, Muslim League and the Tamil Arasu Kazhagam.^[21] March 28 is the 87th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (88th in leap years). ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ...

In the 1972 state legislative assembly election, the Forward Bloc presented 1 candidate in Assam^[29], 5 in Bihar^[30] and 2 in Madhya Pradesh^[31]. In Maharashtra the party contested 26 seats. Like in the 1971 Lok Sabha elections the party did well in the interior areas of the state. It won the Nagpur North and Yeotmal seats, and came second in several others. In total the AIFB candidates in Maharashtra got 363 547 votes (2.4% of the state-wide vote).^[32] In West Bengal, were fresh elections to the state assembly were again held in 1972, the Forward Bloc launched 18 candidates. It got 331 244 votes (2.48% of the state-wide vote), but could not win a single seat.^[33]

Realignment in Tripura

After having contested the 1972 elections on its own, the Forward Bloc decided to join a 'United Front' led by the communist parties in Tripura.^[34] The front demanded clear-cut policies for procurement and distribution of food grains, stop to sprilalling prices of essential commodities, a land reform legislation for delimitation of Tribal reserve areas and creation of employments opportunities for the unemployed. A 24-hour Tripura Bandh was organised by the front on December 16. On May 3, 1974 the four parties organised a 12-hour Tripura Bandh.^[35] Bandh, originally a Hindi word meaning closed, is a form of protest used by political activists in India. ... May 3 is the 123rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (124th in leap years). ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ...

1977 elections

1977 was a crucial year in Indian political history. For the first time in independent India, the Congress Party was routed in a national election. The Forward Bloc had contested four seats in the Lok Sabha election. In West Bengal it had three candidates which were supported by the Left Front, out of whom all three were elected.^[36] Moreover, the party contested one seat in Haryana.^[37]. Left Front election propaganda in Kolkata 2004 DSP-meeting in Kolkata West Bengal Left Front Committee meeting for solidarity with Tripura Left Front is an alliance of Indian leftist parties. ...

In Tripura a Left Front was formed consisting of the CPI(M), RSP and the Forward Bloc. The Front launched one Forward Bloc candidate, Brajagopal Roy in the Town Bordowali constituency. Roy won the seat with 7800 votes (62.76%). In the beginning of 1978 the Left Front formed a majority government in the state, with Brajagopal Roy appointed minister in the state government.^[38] Left Front election propaganda in Kolkata 2004 DSP-meeting in Kolkata West Bengal Left Front Committee meeting for solidarity with Tripura Left Front is an alliance of Indian leftist parties. ...

Recent history

Ahead of the 2000 Bihar legislative election AIFB took part in building a front together with the Bharatiya Jan Congress, the Bihar Vikas Party, the Janata Dal (Secular), the Samajwadi Janata Party and the Nationalist Congress Party. The front vowed to maintain equidistance towards the two major blocs in Bihari politics, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the National Democratic Alliance, condeming them as 'casteist and communal'.^[39] Bharatiya Jan Congress (Indian Popular Congress) was a Indian state of Bihar around 1999-2001. ... Bihar Vikas Party (Bihar Development Party), political party in the Indian state of Bihar. ... The Janata Dal (Secular) is a left of centre Indian political party. ... The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is an Indian political party. ... RJD Womens wing office in Delhi The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD- National Peoples Party) is a political party in India. ... The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is a coalition in India. ...

In 2002 AIFB was one of four leftwing parties that nominated Lakshmi Sehgal as a candidate for the presidency of India. Sehgal, who challenged the main candidate A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, got around 10% of the votes. Captain Doctor Lakshmi Sehgal, an India doctor and politician. ... Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (born October 15, 1931, Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, India), usually referred to as Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, is the President of India. ...

Just before the 2006 Tamil Nadu legislative election, the party was joined by the actor Karthik. Karthik was given the post of secretary of the Tamil Nadu State Committee of AIFB and was put in charge of the election campaign of the party in the state. The party contested a large number of seats, but lost its representation in the assembly. Karthik Karthik is a Tamil Actor, son of vetren actor Muthuraman has got around 20 years experience in more than 100 films. ...

Ahead of the 2006 West Bengal legislative election, a section of the party led by Jayanta Roy, former AIFB Rajya Sabha member, and Chhaya Ghosh, former West Bengal Minister of Agriculture, broke away and formed the Indian People's Forward Bloc. This party aligned itself with the Indian National Congress. Executive President Vice-President Prime Minister Dy. ...

Forward Bloc today

AIFB struggles for socialism in India but they consider that their ideology differs from that of Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Communist Party of India, as they build their socialism on foreign ideologues as Marx and Lenin, whereas the socialism of AIFB is the Indian socialism of Subhas Chandra Bose. The Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M), is a political party in India. ... The Communist Party of India (CPI) is a political party in India. ... Karl Heinrich Marx (May 5, 1818, Trier, Germany – March 14, 1883, London) was an immensely influential German philosopher, political economist, and socialist revolutionary. ... Vladimir Ilyich Lenin ( Russian: Влади́мир Ильи́ч Ле́нин  listen?), original surname Ulyanov (Улья́нов) ( April 22 (April 10 ( O.S.)), 1870 – January 21, 1924), was a Russian revolutionary, the leader of the Bolshevik party, the first Premier of the Soviet Union, and the founder of the ideology of Leninism. ...

AIFB has branches throughout the country, but the main strength of the party is concentrated in West Bengal. It is part of the Left Front government in there, and Forward Bloc has various ministers in the state government. Notably though AIFB is cooperating with CPI(M) in West Bengal, Tripura and on the national level, AIFB is not part of the Left Democratic Front in Kerala. West Bengal (Bengali: পশ্চিম বঙ্গ, Hindi: पश्चिम बंगाल, Poshchim Bôngo) is a state in the eastern region of India. ... Left Front election propaganda in Kolkata 2004 DSP-meeting in Kolkata West Bengal Left Front Committee meeting for solidarity with Tripura Left Front is an alliance of Indian leftist parties. ... Left Democratic Front is one of the two major alliances that dominate the political life of the Indian state Kerala. ...

AIFB, together with the Revolutionary Socialist Party, is significantly more hesitant towards supporting the Congress-led governments than the CPI and CPI(M). RSP flag RYF pamphlet RSP poster in Kerala, honouring historical RSP leader D.K. RYF letter-head . Revolutionary Socialist Party is a marxist-leninist political party in India. ...

In the Lok Sabha elections 2004 the party received 0,4% of votes and three seats (All from West Bengal). Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha (House of the People) is the lower house in the Parliament of India. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The current general secretary of AIFB is Debabrata Biswas.

Andhra Pradesh

In Andhra Pradesh the party had significant presence during the 1950s, but then declined sharply. In 2005 the party took an initiative to revive its Andhra Pradesh State Committee. A.K. Biswas became the secretary of the Andhra Pradesh State Committee. Other State Committee members includes G. Appa Rao, Malla Reddy, K. Narender, Konda Dayanand and D. Venkatesam. The party is opposed to the Congress-led state government.^[40]

Haryana

AIFB has a small state unit in Haryana. The secretary of the Haryana State Committee is T.N. Gupta.^[41] In the 2005 election to the Haryana legislative assembly AIFB ran a single candidate, Mukhtiar Singh Kaushik in the Nilokheri constituency. Kaushik got 442 votes (0.44%).^[42]

Tripura

The Forward Bloc established its presence in Tripura in 1948.^[43] Today, AIFB is a member of the ruling Left Front coalition, but since they've failed to win any seat in the state legislative assembly they don't have any minister in that government. In the 2003 Tripura legislative election the Tripura State Committee president Brajagopal Roy contested the Town Borowali constituency on behalf of the Left Front. Roy got 9844 votes (43.57%), but was defeated by a Congress candidate.^[44] The secretary of the Tripura State Committee of Shyamal Roy (who replaced the former state committee secretary Nisith Das).^[45] The AIFB state unit publishes Tripura Bani. Left Front election propaganda in Kolkata 2004 DSP-meeting in Kolkata West Bengal Left Front Committee meeting for solidarity with Tripura Left Front is an alliance of Indian leftist parties. ...

In 2005 the labour fronts of CPI, RSP and AIFB in Tripura formed the Shramik Aikya Manch (Workers United Front), in an attempt to challenge the dominance of CITU in the Tripura trade union movement. In the summer of 2005 the AIFB Tripura State Committee vice-president Anil Krishna Sharma was arrested, following clashes between CITU and Shramik Aikya Manch in Northern Tripura.^[46] 4th CITU West Bengal state conference poster Centre of Indian Trade Unions, a national central trade union federation in India. ...

Mass Organizations

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

All India Forward Bloc

• All India Youth League
• All India Students Bloc
• Trade Union Coordination Committee
• All India Agragami Kisan Sabha (peasants' organization)
• All India Agragami Mahila Samiti (women's organization)

It has also formed an India - China Friendship Association.
Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Wikimedia Commons logo by Reid Beels The Wikimedia Commons (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ... All India Youth League is the youth wing of All India Forward Bloc. ... TUCC Flag Trade Union Coordination Committee, a central trade union federation in India. ...

Lok Sabha Election Results

Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha (House of the People) is the lower house in the Parliament of India. ... For other uses, see Bihar (disambiguation). ... Haryana (Hindi: , IPA: / /) is a state in north India. ... Jammu and Kashmir (Kashmiri: جۄم تٕہ کٔشِیر ज्वम त॒ कॅशीर, Urdu:جموں Ùˆ کشمیر, Hindi:जम्मू और कश्मीर) (often abbreviated as Kashmir), is the northern-most state of Republic of India, lying mostly in the Himalayan mountains. ... Karnātakā (Kannada: ಕನಾ೯ಟಕ) (IPA: / /) is one of the four southern states of India. ... This article details the Indian state of Punjab. ... Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ... West Bengal (Bengali: পশ্চিম বঙ্গ, Hindi: पश्चिम बंगाल, Poshchim Bôngo) is a state in the eastern region of India. ... It has been suggested that National Capital Territory of Delhi be merged into this article or section. ...

State Election Results

It has been suggested that National Capital Territory of Delhi be merged into this article or section. ... Karnātakā (Kannada: ಕನಾ೯ಟಕ) (IPA: / /) is one of the four southern states of India. ... Madhya Pradesh (मध्य प्रदेश) is a state in central India. ... Maharashtra (Devanagari: महाराष्ट्र mahārāṣṭra, literally: Great Nation; IPA: / /)( ) is Indias third largest state in terms of area and second largest in terms of population after Uttar Pradesh. ... Orissa (Hindi: ) (2001 provisional pop. ... This article details the Indian state of Punjab. ... Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tripura Tripura (Bengali: ত্রিপুরা, Hindi: त्रिपुरा) is a state in North East India. ... Uttar Pradesh (Hindi: , Urdu: اتر پردیش, IPA: ), also popularly known by its abbreviation U.P., is the most populous and fifth largest state in the Union of India. ... West Bengal (Bengali: পশ্চিম বঙ্গ, Hindi: पश्चिम बंगाल, Poshchim Bôngo) is a state in the eastern region of India. ... | state_name=Jharkhand | | capital=Ranchi | latd = 23. ...

Notes

1. ^ Ghosh, Asok (ed.), A Short History of the All India Forward Bloc. Kolkata: Bengal Lokmat Printers Pvt Ltd., 2001. p. 29-30
2. ^ Banglapedia
3. ^ Banglapedia
4. ^ Ghosh, Asok (ed.), A Short History of the All India Forward Bloc. Kolkata: Bengal Lokmat Printers Pvt Ltd., 2001. p. 32-34, 55
5. ^ Ghosh, Asok (ed.), A Short History of the All India Forward Bloc. Kolkata: Bengal Lokmat Printers Pvt Ltd., 2001. p. 36, 39
6. ^ Ghosh, Asok (ed.), A Short History of the All India Forward Bloc. Kolkata: Bengal Lokmat Printers Pvt Ltd., 2001. p. 42-43
7. ^ The members of the Working Committee at the time were Subhas Chandra Bose (Sr. Founder President), S.S. Cavesheer (President), R.S. Ruikar (Vice-President), Sheel Bhadra Yagee (Vice-President), Hari Vishnu Kamath (General Secretary), Mukundalal Sarkar (Secretary), Vishwanbhar Dayal Tripathi (Secretary), Prof. Bidesh Kulkarni (Secretary), Rajmannar Chity (Secretary), Satyanarayan Bajaj (Treasurer), Mian Akber Shah, Alim T. Gidwani, Lala Shankarlal, Ramgati Ganguly, Mathura Prasad Misra, Lila Roy, Harendra Nath Ghosh, Ashrafuddin Ahmad Chowdhury, A.M.A. Zaman, Satyanarayan Bakshim, Kusum Ranjan Chowdhury, Senapati M.P. Bapat, H.J. Khandekar, V.V. Subedar, Dr. S.G. Patwardhan, B.P. Bappaya, U. Muthuramalingam Thevar, R.A. Mandgi, Giridhar Thakkar, K.N. Joglekar, Ram Bhaw Nishel and Sardar Niranjan Singh Talib. Ghosh, Asok (ed.), A Short History of the All India Forward Bloc. Kolkata: Bengal Lokmat Printers Pvt Ltd., 2001. p. 43-45
8. ^ Ghosh, Asok (ed.), A Short History of the All India Forward Bloc. Kolkata: Bengal Lokmat Printers Pvt Ltd., 2001. p. 45
9. ^ Ghosh, Asok (ed.), A Short History of the All India Forward Bloc. Kolkata: Bengal Lokmat Printers Pvt Ltd., 2001. p. 55
10. ^ H.K. Kamath, a Forward Bloc executive committee member and delegate in the Constituent Assembly, refused to go along with this order. He kept his seat in the Constituent Assembly and resigned from the party.
11. ^ Bose, K.; Forward Bloc. Madras: 1988, Tamil Nadu Academy of Political Science. p. 85
12. ^ Ghosh, Asok (ed.), A Short History of the All India Forward Bloc. Kolkata: Bengal Lokmat Printers Pvt Ltd., 2001. p. 56
13. ^ Basu, Pradip Kumar; The Communist Movement in Tripura, Calcutta: Progressive Publishers, 1996. p. 98, 100
14. ^ Ghosh, Asok (ed.), A Short History of the All India Forward Bloc. Kolkata: Bengal Lokmat Printers Pvt Ltd., 2001. p. 56
15. ^ Ghosh, Asok (ed.), A Short History of the All India Forward Bloc. Kolkata: Bengal Lokmat Printers Pvt Ltd., 2001. p. 57
16. ^ Velayudham Nayar was the Forward Bloc candidate. His candidature was supported by the Swatantra Party, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Indian Union Muslim League. Nayar was defeated by the Congress candidate R.K. Dorai (brother of the Raja of Ramnad). Nayar got 131 281 votes, against 138 358 for Dorai. 2 independent candidates were also in the fray. [1]
17. ^ Basu, Pradip Kumar; The Communist Movement in Tripura, Calcutta: Progressive Publishers, 1996. p. 124.
18. ^ ECI
19. ^ At the time, the AIFB members of the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly sat in the same legislative group as the Swatantra members. The leader of the Forward Bloc in Tamil Nadu, P.K. Mookiah Thevar, was considered as very close to the Swatantra leader C. Rajagopalachari. Moreover, Thevar was leading the Swatantra group in the assembly. Bose, K.; Forward Bloc. Madras: 1988, Tamil Nadu Academy of Political Science. p. 163, 189, 193
20. ^ ^a b c Now two poles emerged in Tamil politics. Congress(R) formed a 'Progressive Front' with Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Communist Party of India, Praja Socialist Party, Muslim League and Tamil Arasu Kazhagam in November 1970, ahead of the municipal elections. The Progressive Front would also contest the 1971 Lok Sabha and Tamil Nadu state legislative elections. The Swatantra Party and the Congress(O) formed a 'Democratic Front'. Bose, K.; Forward Bloc. Madras: 1988, Tamil Nadu Academy of Political Science. p. 193-195
21. ^ ^a b Bose, K.; Forward Bloc. Madras: 1988, Tamil Nadu Academy of Political Science. p. 196
22. ^ Thevar got 208 431 votes (58.16%), defeating the Congress(O) candidate S. Balakrishnan.[2]
23. ^ Dhote got 125 552 (37.09%). He was challenged by four other candidates, including A.B. Bardhan of the CPI who got around 10%.[3]
24. ^ As mentioned the party won the Nagpur seat. Moreover it came second in the Ramtek (14.32%) and Yeotmal (44.69%, also with Dhote as the candidate) constituencies.ECI, The Hindu 16 March 2004, Rediff
25. ^ ^a b ECI
26. ^ ECI
27. ^ After the elections, P.K. Mookiah Thevar decided to retain his Lok Sabha seat. Thus a bye-election was held for the Usilampatti assembly seat. The Forward Bloc nominated its Tamil Nadu state secretary K. Kandaswamy who was challenged by S. Andi Thevar. Kandaswamy won with 36351 votes against 16362 for Thevar. [4] [5]
28. ^ Mihir Kumar Ray won the Mekhliganj seat, Apurba Lal Majumdar in Bagdaha and Saral Deb in Barasat.[6]
29. ^ Man Mohan Paul of the AIFB stood in the Lumding constituency. He got 2403 votes (6.37%), trailing behind both CPI(M) and CPI candidates. The election was won by the Congress Party.[7]
30. ^ In total the AIFB candidates in Bihar got 20 525 votes. Ghanshyam Mahto came second with 7560 votes (21.68%) in the Ichagarh constituency. Satya Narayan Yadav came fourth in Sarath with 6535 votes (17.44%), and Ramayan Singh came fourth in Bikram with 4662 votes (7.96%).[8]
31. ^ R.K. Haldulkar came third in the Chhindwara constituency with 2656 votes (8.99%). His party colleague Basantrao Shivajee got 875 votes (1.87%) in Pandhurna.[9]
32. ^ ECI
33. ^ ECI
34. ^ The front had been formed by CPI(M) and CPI on November 2, 1973. AIFB and the RSP joined the front on November 14.
35. ^ Basu, Pradip Kumar; The Communist Movement in Tripura, Calcutta: Progressive Publishers, 1996. p. 146, 149.
36. ^ Amrendranath Roy Pradhan won in Cooch Behar with 226 521 votes (64.69%), Chitta Basu won in Barasat with 203 694 votes (56.15%) and Chittaranjan Matara won in Purulia with 200 985 votes (68.33%).[10]
37. ^ K.K. Toofan of the Forward Bloc contested the Mahendragarh seat in Haryana. Toofan got 2444 votes (0.53%). [11]
38. ^ Basu, Pradip Kumar; The Communist Movement in Tripura, Calcutta: Progressive Publishers, 1996. p. 156-157., ECI
39. ^ SJP leader Ramsunder Das was chosen as the convenor of the front. A 13-member committee was formed to coordinate the political activities of the front. Tribune 28 August, 1999
40. ^ The Hindu, 9 May 2006, The Hindu, 19 July 2005
41. ^ The Tribune 23 June 2002
42. ^ ECI
43. ^ Majumder, Benimadhab; The Legislative Opposition in Tripura, Agartala: Tripura State Tribal Cultural Research Institute & Museum, 1997. p. 19
44. ^ ECI
45. ^ The Telegraph 26 July 2005, Excelsior 14 February 2003
46. ^ The Telegraph 25 July 2005. Sharma had been one of the Forward Bloc candidates in the 1972 state legislative assembly election, contesting in the Sonichera constituency. He then got 292 votes (3.72%).[12]

Netaji poster in Thiruvananthapuram Subhas Chandra Bose (January 23, 1897 - August 18, 1945) also known as Netaji, was a Orissa born and Bengal based Indian leader of the movement to win independence from British rule. ... Swatantra Party (swatantra in Hindi means independence) was a political party in India founded by Chakravarti Rajagopalachari in 1959. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... IUML banner Indian Union Muslim League is an Islamic nationalist political party in India. ... Vidhan Sabha, the name of the state-level legislature assemblies in India. ... Rajaji Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari (Tamil: சக்ரவர்தி ராஜகோபாலாச்சாரி) (December 1878 - December 25, 1972), known as or Rajaji or C.R., was an Indian lawyer, writer, statesman and a Hindu spiritualist. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Communist Party of India (CPI) is a political party in India. ... The Praja Socialist Party was an Indian political party in existence from 1952 to 1972. ... IUML banner Indian Union Muslim League is an Islamic nationalist political party in India. ... Ardhendu Bhushan Bardhan is the general secretary of the Communist Party of India, one of the oldest political parties in India. ... Chhindwarwa is a city and district situated in Madhya Pradesh, India. ... November 2 is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 59 days remaining. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... RSP flag RYF pamphlet RSP poster in Kerala, honouring historical RSP leader D.K. RYF letter-head . Revolutionary Socialist Party is a marxist-leninist political party in India. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Barasat (Bangla: বারাসাত) is a city in the outskirts of Kolkata (Calcutta), West Bengal, India. ... Purulia (also spelled Puruliya) is a town, and the district headquarters of Purulia district, located in West Bengal state, India. ...

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