CPI-M selects MA Baby as new general secretary

With the Politburo approving the recommendation for Baby’s elevation, he becomes the second leader from Kerala to hold the position, after the legendary EMS Namboodiripad. Though former General Secretary Prakash Karat also hails from Kerala, he represented the party’s New Delhi unit when he assumed the role. EMS had earlier served as the acting General Secretary of the undivided Communist Party of India (CPI) in 1953–54 and 1955–56, and later as the General Secretary of the CPI in 1962–63. He went on to lead the CPI(M) as General Secretary from 1978 to 1991.

The Central Committee of the CPI-M, which has 84 members (with one post currently vacant), officially ratified Baby’s appointment. The announcement was made during the concluding days of the party congress. M.A. Baby, who turned 72 on April 5, is the most senior CPI-M leader from Kerala after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. However, his selection did not come without resistance. Sources said that five members of the party Politburo opposed his elevation. These included West Bengal leaders Surya Kanta Mishra, Nilotpal Basu, Mohammed Salim, and Ramchandra Dome, along with Ashok Dhawale from Maharashtra. Despite the internal dissent, Prakash Karat reportedly backed only M.A. Baby for the role of General Secretary.

In a significant move, the party also relaxed the age limit rule, capped at 75, to allow senior leaders P.K. Sreemathy and Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami to continue serving in the Central Committee. A similar extension was granted to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to be in the party politburo, who is currently 79 years old. The newly elected Politburo includes Mariam Dhawale, Jitendra Chaudhury, Amra Ram, Vijoo Krishnan, Arun Kumar, Srideep Bhattacharya, U. Vasuki, and K. Balakrishnan. With Vasuki and Balakrishnan’s inclusion, Tamil Nadu now has two representatives in the Politburo.

Several outgoing Politburo members - Prakash Karat, Brinda Karat, and Manik Sarkar - have been appointed as special invitees. Notably, journalist-turned-politician and Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas has also been inducted into the Central Committee as a special invitee. Meanwhile, in a closely watched development, senior Maharashtra leader D.L. Karad, who is also the state president of the CITU, contested for a seat in the Central Committee. He secured only 31 votes. Talking to the media, Karad said he contested at the behest of colleagues who wanted a democratic contest and emphasized that the outcome was not of major concern to him.