Seventy-one-year-old veteran Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] leader and Politburo member from Kerala, MA Baby, was chosen as the sixth General Secretary of the party during the Politburo meeting held on Saturday, April 5 in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. Baby’s name was proposed by senior leader Prakash Karat. Baby is the second General Secretary from Kerala to lead the party after EMS Namboodiripad.
According to reports, 11 out of 16 Politburo members endorsed Baby’s name while the rest opposed him. Those who opposed his nomination included Surjya Kanta Mishra, Mohammed Salim, Nilotpal Basu, Ramachandra Dome, and Ashok Dhawale.
Baby, a native of Prakkulam in Kollam, entered politics as a student and worked with the CPI(M)’s student wing, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI). He was later associated with the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI). He was one among several Communist leaders who were imprisoned during the Emergency.
Baby was selected as a member of the Rajya Sabha at the age of 32. In 2006, he was elected to the Kerala Assembly. During his tenure, he served as the Minister for Education and Culture in the VS Achuthanandan Cabinet from 2006 to 2011.
Apart from Baby’s appointment, reports say the Politburo has decided to relax the age limit for central committee members PK Sreemathy and Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami.