The state unit of the CPM has pushed its fellow comrades of other states far away in membership by contributing 40 percent of the total share, as per an organisational document tabled at the central committee meeting held in New Delhi recently.
The state has recorded a growth of 16 percent in the party membership in a year when it lost nearly 2,000 members nationwide.
The ‘big three’ - Kerala, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu - together has a whopping 76 percent share of party cadre.
“Though the membership in the state has been growing over the years, it is significant that the party recorded a growth despite the fact that it is sitting at the Opposition for the past two years. We are getting more participation in the various struggles. There is considerable increase from all class organisations. Significantly, more number of women, youth and students are drawn to the party ideology,” said Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, CPM politburo member and deputy chief of the party in the state Assembly.
According to the latest figures, the party has a total membership of 10,42,000 from 10,44, 833 in 2011.
The party had 10,42,287 members in 2009.
The state unit in Tamil Nadu recorded a milestone as it crossed one lakh in membership, while Andhra Pradesh once hailed as the Red bastion suffered a slight dip.
The ‘dominance’ of the Kerala unit over West Bengal will increase as the latter had lost almost 50,000 members.
“It is true that the party received a setback in West Bengal, but at the same time it has to be noted that many in the region are fleeing from their locality fearing ‘terrorist’ strikes and hence they fail to renew their membership. The party never had balanced growth across the country,” Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said.
Of the 15-member politburo besides general secretary Prakash Karat, Pinarayi Vijayan, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, S Ramachandran Pillai, and M A Baby belong to Kerala.