TRIVANDRUM: Senior CPM leader from Kerala PK Sreemathy has been elected as the new national president of the All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA), the CPM's women's wing.
Incumbent general secretary Mariam Dhawale and treasurer S Pushpavathi will continue.
The new office bearers were elected at the concluding session of the 13th national conference of AIDWA held in Thiruvananthapuram from January 6-9.
TNIE reported on Sunday that P K Sreemathy will be the new national president of the organization.
CPM leaders KK Shailaja, Women’s commission chairperson P Sathidevi, Soosan Kodi, P K Sainaba were elected as vice-presidents.
CS Sujatha and N Sukanya were elected as national joint secretaries.
This is after two decades that a Malayali has been elected to the topmost position of AIDWA.
Suseela Gopalan was elected as general secretary in 1998.
A former state minister and ex- Lok Sabha MP, 73-year-old PK Sreemathy is currently CPM central committee member.
The AIDWA conference will also elect other office bearers on Sunday.
From now on, transfolk will be part of AIDWA
In a historical decision, the AIDWA decided to accommodate the transgender community into their fold. The AIDWA 13th national conference held in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday approved the decision to give membership to the members of the transgender community.
The conference has also decided to give memberships to any woman who is above the age of 15.
All-India vice president U Vasuki at a press conference said, “Kerala is the state which had brought up the first transgender policy in the state. Tamil Nadu constituted the first transgender welfare board. The association had indulged in discussion with the transgenders in these states."
The national conference will conclude on Monday with a public meeting. The organizers had claimed that around one lakh women will participate in the public meeting. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the meeting at Putharikandam ground.