Former Kerala Education Minister, MA Baby, has been elected as the new General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) at the party’s 24th All India Conference held in Madurai on Sunday. The announcement marks a leadership transition for the party following the passing of former General Secretary Sitaram Yechury last year.

Meanwhile, Prakash and Brinda Karat have stepped down from the Politburo. According to the reports, Prakash Karat, Brinda Karat and Manik Sarkar would be made special invitees to the Central Committee of the CPI(M).

MA Baby, whose full name is Mariam Alexander Baby, served as a member of the Rajya Sabha from 1986 to 1998. The CPI(M) emphasised the composition of the newly elected Central Committee, highlighting that 20 per cent of its members are women.

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“The CPIM24th Party Congress has elected an 85-member Central Committee with one vacancy. The new Central Committee elected an 18-member Polit Bureau with Comrade M.A. Baby as the General Secretary. 20% of the Central Committee members are women,” the party stated in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

The General Secretary position became vacant after Sitaram Yechury’s death on September 12, 2023, at AIIMS Hospital in Delhi, following complications from a respiratory tract infection. Prakash Karat had served as the interim coordinator in the intervening period.

Sitaram Yechury’s tenure

Sitaram Yechury, a prominent figure in Indian Left politics, was known for his astute parliamentary interventions and his ability to forge political alliances. He maintained significant influence in national politics despite the CPI(M)’s declining electoral fortunes.

Yechury’s political journey began with his joining the CPI(M) in 1975. He was detained during the Emergency for his political activities. He was elected to the Central Committee in 1985, the Central Secretariat in 1989, and the Polit Bureau in 1992. He assumed the role of General Secretary in 2015 and held it until his death. Yechury also served two terms as a Rajya Sabha member from 2005 to 2017, earning recognition as an effective parliamentarian and receiving the Best Parliamentarian Award in 2017.

(With ANI Inputs)