Generational shift within CPM; M A Baby elected as new CPM General Secretary

MADURAI: Senior leader M.A. Baby was elected as the new General Secretary of the CPM at the 24th Party Congress, which marked a generational shift within the party.

Six members, including Prakash Karat, exited the Polit Bureau. However, Pinarayi Vijayan was retained with an age-limit relaxation. Among the new members was Viju Krishnan, a Malayali (based in Delhi), who is a prominent leader in the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS). M.A. Baby’s election was unanimous, with no voting required.

Aged 71, Baby becomes the second General Secretary from Kerala after E.M.S. Namboodiripad. Although Prakash Karat, a former General Secretary, was Malayali by origin, his organizational base was in Delhi. Interestingly, Baby's appointment came just a day after his birthday on April 5, making it a symbolic birthday gift.

Meanwhile, voting was required to elect members to the Central Committee, as the party units from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh dissented from the official panel. While the UP unit later withdrew, D.L. Karad, a member of Maharashtra’s state secretariat, contested and received only 31 out of 729 votes, failing to make any significant impact.

The Congress elected an 84-member Central Committee and an 18-member Polit Bureau. From Kerala, LDF Convener T.P. Ramakrishnan, state secretariat member Puthalath Dinesan, and former MLA K.S. Saleekha were elected to the Central Committee. P.K. Sreemathi will continue as a Central Committee member in her capacity as the president of the All India Democratic Women’s Association. MP and state committee member John Brittas has been made a permanent invitee. M. Vijayakumar was elected to the National Control Commission.

Disagreement in panel; later took unanimous decision
On Saturday night, a Polit Bureau meeting lasting nearly two hours finalized the panel lists for the new committees. Prakash Karat, acting as Polit Bureau Coordinator, proposed M.A. Baby’s name for General Secretary.

However, there was dissent from members including Suryakant Mishra, Nilotpal Basu, Mohammad Salim, and Ramachandra Dome from Bengal, and Ashok Dhawale from Maharashtra. Dhawale initially proposed Mohammad Salim as an alternative, but Salim later withdrew, ending the internal disagreement. M.A. Baby’s nomination was significantly strengthened by the support of the Kerala delegation led by Pinarayi Vijayan.

The Polit Bureau met again on Sunday morning for final discussions, after which the panel was presented to the existing Central Committee. Under the chairmanship of Pinarayi Vijayan, the committee unanimously approved Baby's name, which was then presented and passed before the Party Congress delegates.

Due to D.L. Karad's contest, voting was required for Central Committee selections, leading to a delay in the conclusion of proceedings.