THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Gearing up for its 24th Party Congress next week, the CPM is preparing for a major churning of its top brass. In a hitherto unprecedented scenario, half of the politburo (PB) is set to give way to fresh faces.
Going by the age criteria, and with a position left vacant by the demise of general secretary Sitaram Yechury, there will be eight vacancies in the PB. In the 17-member PB, seven leaders have crossed the upper age limit of 75. This includes PB coordinator Prakash Karat, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, former Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, women leaders Brinda Karat and Subhashini Ali, West Bengal leader Surjya Kanta Mishra, and ex-TN secretary G Ramakrishnan.
Of these, Pinarayi is expected to get an exemption. At the recently concluded central committee meet, there were demands that a few seniors be given relaxation, considering the country’s political scenario. Women leaders are of the view that Brinda, being a known name, should be retained.
“It has almost been confirmed that Pinarayi, being the CPM’s only CM, will be retained in the PB -- either via exemption or as a permanent invitee. But the leadership doesn’t seem flexible about age-relaxation for other leaders, be it Brinda or anyone else. Prakash too seems to have made up his mind to exit,” a CC member told TNIE.
New general secretary
The successor to Yechury as the new general secretary will be the most keenly watched aspect. Going by seniority, a couple of names including that of ex-Andhra Pradesh state secretary B V Raghavulu and senior Kerala leader M A Baby are doing the rounds. There are reports that the party may consider Kisan Sabha leader Ashok Dhawale, who was inducted into the PB in 2022, for the post.
A section within the party has demanded that Brinda be made the party chief. They feel it’s high time the party received a woman secretary.
“There were discussions to this effect after Yechury’s demise. But it was pointed out that giving her or anyone else the charge at the time would send out a message of pre-empting someone else. That’s why Prakash was chosen as the coordinator,” another CC member said.
New faces
With the impending mass exodus from the PB, a slew of new leaders will make their way in. With two women leaders on their way out, a few names are doing the rounds. AIDWA general secretary Mariam Dhawale, CITU national secretary A R Sindhu, senior Tamil Nadu trade union leader U Vasuki, and ex-minister K K Shailaja figure among the likely candidates.
There are indications that Kisan Sabha leader Vijoo Krishnan could be considered. TN state secretary P Shanmugam, who was inducted into the CC last time, may replace G Ramakrishnan if Vasuki is not considered.
Arun Kumar from Delhi and former WB MP Samik Lahiri are some other names doing the rounds. While there is no Kerala leader other than Pinarayi among those nearing the end of their PB tenure, there are a few seniors like E P Jayarajan, T M Thomas Isaac and K Radhakrishnan who may make the cut for the top body should the party choose to give Kerala better representation.
‘Party will use leaders politically, ideologically, & organisationally’
The CPM had introduced the age cap to amend its image of an ageing party, said CC member A K Balan.
“The 22nd Party Congress brought in an age cap of 80 years. Later, the 23rd Congress revised it to 75 years. Now, it’s a transition stage. When a number of people go out at once, there is bound to be a vacuum. The party views it seriously. For us, it’s not retirement, but more of a relieving. The party will use leaders who are healthy and can effectively contribute politically, ideologically, and organisationally, without any specific organisational role,” he said.
PINARAYI LIKELY TO CONTINUE
In the 17-member PB, seven leaders have crossed the upper age limit of 75
This includes Prakash Karat, Pinarayi Vijayan, Manik Sarkar, Brinda Karat, Subhashini Ali, Surjya Kanta Mishra, and G Ramakrishnan. Of these, Pinarayi is expected to get an exemption