Who is MA Baby, CPI(M)'s first general secretary from a minority group?
The veteran leader from Kerala was elected CPI(M) general secretary at its 24th All India Party Congress on Sunday.
A veteran leader from Kerala, MA Baby, was elected as the Communist Party of India-Marxist's general secretary on Sunday at its 24th All India Party Congress, reported news agency PTI.
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Baby has made history as the first CPI(M) general secretary selected from a minority group. His ascent to the role comes in the aftermath of the passing of Sitaram Yechury on September 12, 2024.
He is also the second leader from the CPI(M)'s Kerala unit to be elected to the top post, after stalwart politician EMS Namboodiripad. Prakash Karat, who also hails from Kerala, served as general secretary of the party from 2005-2015 as well, but belonged to the Delhi unit of the CPI(M).
Here's everything we know about MA Baby:
MA Baby was born to PM and Lilly Alexander on April 5, 1954, in Prakkulam in the Kollam district of Kerala. He completed his schooling there and went on to SN College, where he pursued a bachelor of arts degree in political science.
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His entry into politics also began here, when he joined the Kerala Students' Federation, a precursor to the Students Federation of India (SFI).
However, he never finished his degree as he could not write the final year examination, and was arrested during the emergency, as per his records on Niyamasabha (the official website of Kerala's legislative assembly).
He became one of the youngest members of the Rajya Sabha in 1986 at the age of 32, and maintained his position till 1998. He also served as education minister in the VS Achuthanandan-led Kerala government between 2006 and 2011.
Apart from his affinity for politics, he also has a keen interest in music, cinema and literature, reported PTI. Baby married Betty Louis, who was also in the Kerala state committee of the SFI. They have a son named Ashok Betty Nelson.
CPI(M) general secretary election
Following the vacancy created after Sitaram Yechury passed away, Prakash Karat served as the interim coordinator for the CPI(M).
At the party congress, 30 news faces were inducted into the 84-member Central Committee, who also elected an 18-member Politburo, with eight new members.
MA Baby had been a member of the CPI(M)'s Politburo since 2012 and had dubbed himself as an “obedient soldier” of the party.
Baby admitted to reporters, after the election, that the strength of the party had declined and they needed to come together and make changes. He called for consolidating the strengths of the party's different committees as well as mass organisations.
The newly elected CPI(M) general secretary said, as quoted by PTI, “If we work together, all the branches, all the intermediary committees, all the state committees…there are mass organisations that have more than five million members... If we can activate them, they will be able to face the challenges we are faced with.”
