Madurai: 

Baby is the first Keralite to take on the role after E.M.S. Namboodiripad and is the sixth individual to hold the position. The West Bengal faction's proposal of Ashok Dhavle was not accepted by the Kerala leaders.

The names that were proposed for the General Secretary position in the Politburo included West Bengal State Secretary Mohammad Salim, Ashok Dhavle, Mariyam Dhavle, and U. Vasuki. However, with majority support in the 16-member Politburo, M.A. Baby's name was accepted. The CPI(M) will make an official announcement regarding this decision shortly.

Kerala leader M.A. Baby has been selected as the new General Secretary of the CPI(M), party sources said on Sunday. His nomination, which came from the Kerala faction in the Politburo, was confirmed at the 24th Party Congress.

M.A. Baby has been appointed as the successor to the late leader Sitaram Yechury. Considering the seniority in the Politburo, party coordinator Prakash Karat proposed M.A. Baby's name for the General Secretary position.

Meanwhile, it was decided that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan would continue to be a member of the Politburo, with age-related exceptions. The CPI(M)’s 24th Party Congress will conclude today in Madurai, with a public meeting near N. Shankarayya Nagar, Vandiur Mastan Pettai, marking the closure of the six-day conference.

CPI(M)’s Ideological Face:

M.A. Baby became involved in politics through the SFI and became a prominent communist leader during the Emergency period when he was imprisoned. At the age of 32, he became one of the youngest members of the Rajya Sabha. After Prakash Karat, M.A. Baby became the All India President of the SFI in 1978, and after stepping down from this role in 1981, he was succeeded by Sitaram Yechury.

Born on April 5, 1954, in Prakkulam, Kollam district, he entered political life through the SFI (Students Federation of India). He was the All India President of both the SFI and the DYFI (Democratic Youth Federation of India). Currently, he is a member of the Politburo.

He has served as the All India President of the SFI, All India President of the DYFI, and Secretary of the CPI(M) Alappuzha District. In 2006, M.A. Baby contested his first election from the Kundara constituency and won with the support of the UDF (United Democratic Front) after defeating N.K. Premachandran, who had left the LDF (Left Democratic Front).

From 2006 to 2011, M.A. Baby managed various departments, including Public Education, Higher Education, Culture, Heritage, Zoos, and the Film Development Corporation. He then contested again in the 2011 Legislative Assembly elections from Kundara, and after defeating UDF candidate P. Jeremias, he returned to the Assembly.

In 1989, he became a member of the CPI(M) Central Committee, and in 1992, he became a member of the CPI(M) Central Secretariat. M.A. Baby was elected as a member of the Politburo during the Party Congress in Kozhikode in 2012.

In 2014, while still an MLA, he contested the Kollam Lok Sabha constituency against N.K. Premachandran but was defeated. After Pinarayi Vijayan, M.A. Baby is the senior-most member of the Politburo from Kerala. He has also made significant contributions as the founding convenor of the Cuban Solidarity Committee in Delhi, gaining international attention for his efforts.

What sets M.A. Baby apart from other left-wing leaders is his approach that attracts not only party workers but also individuals from opposing political factions. The fact that M.A. Baby, at the age of 71, has been considered for the position of All India Secretary, despite the party’s strict 70-year age limit, is notable.

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