New Delhi: In a striking visual shift, the colour red has vanished from the profile pictures of the official Facebook and Instagram accounts of the West Bengal CPM state unit. A bold blue now dominates the backdrop. While this change has sparked curiosity, the party’s Bengal leadership insists there is nothing unusual about it. Interestingly, CPM Kerala state secretary M V Govindan had also recently remarked that red is not necessarily the party’s colour.

Since the era of the French Revolution, red has been globally recognised as the colour symbolising communism, socialism and revolution. It signifies a willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice for one’s ideology. In India, red has been an inseparable part of the flags of Leftist and Communist parties. However, in recent times, red is seen as less appealing than before. The CPM in Bengal believes that blue is a more effective colour for engaging the younger generation on social media. This is why the West Bengal CPM state unit has replaced red with blue in its social media profile pictures.

Interestingly, blue is also the favourite colour of CPM’s political rival in Bengal, Mamata Banerjee. Some social media users have remarked that CPM has now adopted the colour of the Trinamool Congress. However, CPM leaders argue that Trinamool Congress does not hold a patent on the colour blue. They also point out that the party’s Bengal unit has changed its social media profile pictures eight times in recent months, treating this latest change as just another routine update.

Earlier, CPM Kerala secretary M V Govindan had also stated that red is not the party’s exclusive colour. He made this remark while responding to journalists who questioned why the newly built AKG Centre in Thiruvananthapuram was not painted red. Govindan had countered by asking whether anyone paints the interiors of buildings red and also remarked that red is not a colour associated with positive energy.

As CPM struggles to reclaim its lost political prominence at the national level, the question remains: will this colour change prove beneficial to the party?