Jyoti Basu became Chief Minister of the Left Front government of West Bengal in 1977 – a position he occupied continuously till 2000. Before that, he was twice Deputy Chief Minister in the UF governments between 1967 and 1970. Under his leadership, the government undertook the implementation of land reforms and the establishment of the panchayati raj system.

Jyoti Basu played a key role in the development of the Communist Party in West Bengal and at the all-India level. He was the Secretary of the Provincial Committee of the CPI from 1954 to 1960. He became a member of the Central Committee of the CPI in 1951. When the CPI (M) was formed, he became one of the founder Polit Bureau and Central Committee members.