CPI(M) veteran Sitaram Yechury dies at 72 after battling lung infection

In a significant loss to Indian politics, Sitaram Yechury, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] and a key figure in coalition politics, passed away on Thursday at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi. He was 72.

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Yechury, known for his pragmatic approach to communism and his ability to build alliances across the political spectrum, had been battling a lung infection and was on respiratory support in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit since August 19. The CPI(M) announced his demise in a statement, saying he succumbed to complications from a respiratory tract infection at 3:03 pm.

Born on August 12, 1952, in Chennai to a Telugu-speaking family, Yechury’s journey in politics began during his student days at Delhi’s prestigious St Stephen’s College and Jawaharlal Nehru University. His rise within the party ranks was meteoric; he was elected to the CPI(M) Central Committee in 1985 and to the Politburo in 1992 at the young age of 40.

Yechury took over as the party’s fifth General Secretary in 2015, succeeding Prakash Karat at a time when the Left’s political fortunes were waning. His leadership was marked by efforts to revitalise the party and forge broader alliances to counter the rising tide of right-wing politics in India.