MADURAI: Marking a generational transition, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has inducted six new leaders into the Politburo and thirty into the Central Committee. The influence of the Prakash Karat faction is visibly strong in both bodies. While Malayali leader Viju Krishnan has entered the Politburo, notable omissions from Kerala in the Central Committee include Mohammed Riyas, P.K. Biju, and M.B. Rajesh.

Viju Krishnan, the General Secretary of the All India Kisan Sabha and a native of Karivellur, Kannur, replaces Prakash Karat as the party centre's representative in the Politburo. His visible leadership during farmers’ protests and his Delhi-based activism worked in his favour.

Ensuring the representation of women, Mariam Dhawale and U. Vasuki have also been included in the Politburo. Mariam Dhawale, wife of Ashok Dhawale and General Secretary of the All India Democratic Women’s Association, and U. Vasuki from Tamil Nadu are nominees of the official group. Interestingly, KK Shailaja from Kerala was not considered. While Prakash Karat and his wife Brinda Karat have stepped down, another couple—Ashok and Mariam Dhawale—remain in the Politburo.

Tamil Nadu now has two representatives in the Politburo, with K. Balakrishnan replacing G. Ramakrishnan. From Tripura, state secretary Jitendra (Jiten) Chaudhury replaces Manik Sarkar, while Srideep Bhattacharya steps in for Surjyakanta Mishra from West Bengal. Additionally, Lok Sabha MP Amra Ram from Rajasthan has joined, bringing the total number of Politburo members to 18. In the Kannur Party Congress, there were only 17 Politburo members. Another new face in the Politburo is R. Arun Kumar, former SFI national president and son of Central Committee member K. Hemalatha.

With A.K. Balan stepping down from the Central Committee, K.S. Saleekha, a former MLA from Shoranur, has entered as a surprise inclusion from Palakkad, representing both women and minorities. This came at the cost of P.K. Sainaba missing out. T.P. Ramakrishnan secured a place as the LDF Convenor, while Deshabhimani Chief Editor Puthalath Dinesan also joined the central leadership, recognized for coordinating between the state party centre and Delhi leadership. Notably, both T.P. Ramakrishnan and E.P. Jayarajan are 74 years old.

Among the 30 new faces in the Central Committee, there are seven women, including West Bengal DYFI secretary Meenakshi Mukherjee and young writer-activist Krishnarakshit from Tripura. The average age of the new members is around 50. In comparison, only 17 new faces were added to the Central Committee during the Kannur Party Congress.