CPI(M) Elects Gen Secy in Key Rejig

While Prakash Karat and Brinda Karat Have Stepped From the Politburo, Eight New Members Were Inducted

- Vishnu Varma and Saubhadra Chatterji

KOCHI/NEW DELHI: Senior leaders Prakash Karat and Brinda Karat have stepped from the Politburo of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), with the party inducting eight new members, indicating a generational shift as the party looks to regain lost ground ahead of the Kerala elections next year.

The party also elected Mariam Alexander Baby as the general secretary during the 24th party congress of the CPI(M), which was held at Madurai in Tamil Nadu.

An 85-member Central Committee was elected, including 30 new members. The Central Committee elected an 18-member Politburo that has eight new inclusions.

Former general secretary Prakash Karat, who took over as the interim coordinator of the CPI(M) in the run-up to the congress after the death of incumbent general secretary Sitaram Yechury, was among the Politburo members who stepped down, as did Brinda Karat, Subhashini Ali, Manik Sarkar, Surjya Kanta Mishra and G Ramakrishnan.

Except Mishra, the others will join veterans like Hannan Mollah, S Ramachandran Pillai and Biman Basu as special invitees to the Central Committee.

The new members in the Politburo are Sikar MP Amra Ram, Vijoo Krishnan, R Arun Kumar, Mariam Dhawale, U Vasuki, K Balakrishnan, Jitendra Choudhary and Srideep Bhattacharya.

"The CPI(M) 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 said in a statement.

Prakash Karat, however, dismissed reports of a generational shift, maintaining that a "new set of leaders have come".