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MADURAI/T’PURAM: CPM politburo member Mariam Alexander Baby was appointed Sunday as the party’s new general secretary, becoming only the second from Kerala to hold the position after the state’s first CM EMS Namboodiripad. Baby, 71, succeeded the late Sitaram Yechury at CPM’s 24th congress in Madurai.
Former general secretary Prakash Karat, who briefly served as interim coordinator following Yechury’s passing in Sept 2024, has been dropped from the politburo along with his wife Brinda Karat, Tripura ex-CM Manik Sarkar, Surjya Kanta Mishra, Subhashini Ali and G Ramakrishnan. But, sources said, the Karats and Manik Sarkar will serve as special invitees to the central committee in an advisory role.
The party’s central committee and congress approved the politburo’s recommendation for Baby’s appointment. But, his elevation faced resistance from the party’s Bengal and Maharashtra units, which had proposed All India Kisan Sabha national president Ashok Dhawale for the post.
Five of 16 politburo members opposed Baby’s appointment
Kerala members rallied behind Baby after five of the politburo’s 16 members opposed his appointment, sources said.
Baby downplayed reports of internal opposition to his appointment, stressing that his nomination had broad support. “Mohammed Salim (Bengal CPM state secretary) proposed my name and Ashok Dhawale seconded it,” he said. According to sources, Prakash Karat endorsed Baby for the role.
Kollam-born Baby began his political journey through student activism in Kerala and later became national presidents of SFI and DYFI. He served as a Rajya Sabha MP (1986-1998) and as Kerala’s minister for education and culture (2006-2011). In 2012, he was elected to CPM’s politburo, becoming its first Christian member.
Political allies welcomed Baby’s appointment, with Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin extending his congratulations. “His commitment to secularism, social justice, and federalism will further strengthen ties between like-minded parties,” Stalin said.
CPM also announced a reshuffled politburo, expanding its membership from 17 to 18 and signalling a generational shift within the party.
The new body includes Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, BV Raghavulu, Tapan Sen, Nilotpal Basu, Mohammed Salim, A Vijayaraghavan, Ashok Dhawale, Ramchandra Dome, MV Govindan, Amra Ram, Vijoo Krishnan, Mariam Dhawale, U Vasuki, K Balakrishnan, Jitendra Choudhury, Srideep Bhattacharya and Arun Kumar, in addition to Baby.
Pinarayi, 79, secured an exemption within the politburo, as functionaries were generally excluded after surpassing the party’s age limit of 75 years.
The addition of younger members such as U Vasuki, Vijoo Krishnan, Mariam Dhawale, Srideep Bhattacharya, Amra Ram, and K Balakrishnan marks the party’s strategic shift to consolidate its presence nationally and strengthen its influence among workers, farmers, and the marginalised, sources said.
CPM’s newly constituted central committee comprises 85 members, with one seat remaining vacant.
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