CPM to address quality erosion, member retention post Madurai conference
MADURAI: Weakened grassroots, alarming dip in membership, steady erosion in quality, and gross failure in taking up people's allegations - the general discussion on the political organisational report at the CPM Party Congress on Saturday turned out to be both introspective and critical of those in the saddle.
In view of drastic quality erosion, the Party Congress has decided to strictly adhere to the five-point criteria for membership renewal in 2026.
Compared to the last Party Congress, enrolment has gone up by 35,000-odd members on paper, but actual numbers tell a different story. While the membership was 9,85,757 in 2021, it became 10,19,009 in 2024. In Kerala, membership went up to 5,64,895 in 2024, from the earlier 5,27,174 in 2021.
However, going by the numbers in 2022, the membership number has come down. While it was 10,30,282 in 2022 it came down to 10,19,009 in 2024.
Quality erosion, however, remains a major concern. Delegates who spoke at the discussion observed that the central leadership has been blatantly neglecting their connect with grassroots leaders, and were not making adequate efforts to reach out to them. The party has lost its touch with the masses, pointed out one of them. When central leaders come to weaker states they need not just attend the programmes, but should also try to meet the local-level leaders and provide them guidance.
"Obviously, this gets reflected in the party's functioning too. Unlike in the past, the party has failed to take up people’s issues, including land struggles. There are no mass agitations over issues affecting the basic sections of society. This naturally reflects in our membership too. It's a fact that membership numbers have gone up in states, including Kerala. But look at the attrition rate. It’s definitely on the higher side. While new members are added, many also choose not to renew their membership," pointed out a senior leader.
In what could also be a matter of rising concern, the party observed drastic quality erosion among its members. Compared to the last Party Congress, the membership increased in 14 states, while there was a dip in 11 states. "We are examining the decline and reasons for the same," said Politburo member B V Raghavulu.
"There's certainly loss in quality among the members. In some states, the drop in membership is around 4-5 or 6 per cent. In a few other states it's high. In Kerala too, the relative drop is high. The Kerala party has taken note of the situation and has decided to tighten the recruitment process," he added.
The party has formulated a five-point criteria for future recruitment of members. In an effort to ensure quality of membership, these factors will be strictly followed.
"Based on the criteria, the relative participation of members in party activities is good. But certain sections do not fulfill these criteria. In the coming days, we intend to educate them, so as to ensure their active participation in all campaigns and struggles undertaken by the party. If they are unable to cope even after this, they will be taken in as sympathisers," explained the senior Politburo member, while briefing the media on Saturday.
He added that these criteria will be followed during the membership renewal process in 2026. During this period, efforts will be taken to make them conscious of their responsibilities.
The organisational report that was discussed threadbare, also points at certain lapses at the state-level too. While certain issues of corruption have been pointed out in Telangana, issues related to domestic violence too have been identified in Tamil Nadu. The party will set in motion the rectification campaign immediately after the national meet.
Membership Kerala : 527174 (2021), 574261 (2022), 567123 (2023), 564895 (2024) West Bengal: 160827 (2021), 154322 (2022), 157047 (2023), 158143 (2024) Tripura : 50612 (2021), 49386 (2022), 44381 (2023), 39626 (2024) Total in India : 985757 (2021), 1030282 (2022), 1021057 (2023), 1019009 (2024)