M.A. Baby new CPI-M general secretary; Prakash and Brinda Karat step down from Politburo

Baby has been appointed as the new General Secretary of the CPI-M, becoming the second leader from the Kerala unit to hold the party's top organisational post after E.M.S. Namboodiripad. The announcement was made following the approval of Baby's name by the CPI-M Central Committee which comprises 84 members, with one position currently vacant. Veteran leaders Prakash Karat and Brinda Karat have stepped down from the Politburo after crossing the party's upper age limit of 75.

Former Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar also exited the Politburo on the same grounds.

However, all three leaders--Prakash Karat, Brinda Karat, and Manik Sarkar--have been included in the Central Committee as special invitees, continuing their association with the party's key decision-making processes.

M.A. Baby, who turned 72 on April 5, is the most senior CPI-M leader from Kerala after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

His political journey began with the Kerala Students Federation (KSF), the predecessor of the Students Federation of India (SFI). He later served as the national president of the SFI and held leadership roles in the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI).

Baby was a member of the Rajya Sabha from 1986 to 1998 and later represented the Kundara constituency in the Kerala Legislative Assembly for two terms (2006-2016). He also served as the state's Education Minister from 2006 to 2011. He has been a Politburo member since 2012.

His elevation to General Secretary marks a rare moment in the CPI-M's history, with only E.M.S. Namboodiripad previously holding the post from Kerala. EMS first served as acting General Secretary of the undivided CPI in the early 1950s and later became General Secretary of CPI-M from 1978 to 1991.

Sources within the party revealed that Baby's appointment was not unanimous.

Five members of the 16-member Politburo -- Surya Kanta Mishra, Nilotpal Basu, Mohammed Salim, Ramchandra Dome (all from West Bengal), and Ashok Dhawale (Maharashtra) -- reportedly opposed the decision.

However, former General Secretary Prakash Karat recommended only Baby for the post, which was eventually ratified by the Central Committee.

Notably, the party has relaxed its age limit rule to allow P.K. Sreemathy and Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami to continue in the Central Committee.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who has turned 79, was also given a special extension to continue in the committee.

The newly formed Politburo includes fresh faces such as Mariam Dhawale, Jitendra Chaudhury, Amra Ram, Vijoo Krishnan, Arun Kumar, Srideep Bhattacharya, U. Vasuki, and K. Balakrishnan.

With the inclusion of Vasuki and Balakrishnan, host state Tamil Nadu now has two representatives in the CPI-M Politburo. In an interesting development, journalist-turned-politician and Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas has been appointed as a special invitee to the Central Committee.

Meanwhile, senior leader from Maharashtra and state CITU president, Dr. D.L. Karad, contested for a position in the Central Committee but received only 31 votes.

Speaking to the media, Dr. Karad said he contested at the behest of colleagues from Maharashtra and emphasized that the result was "immaterial" as the process was democratic. The 24th Party Congress marked a critical juncture for the CPI(M) as it navigates generational change while grappling with ideological and strategic challenges ahead.