 "MA Baby elected CPI(M) general secretary; second Keralite to hold post")
Mariam Alexander Baby, veteran Marxist leader and former Kerala minister, has been elected as the new general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] at the 24th Party Congress held in Madurai. The leadership transition comes in the wake of the death of Sitaram Yechury last year.
The decision, made on the concluding day of the five-day congress, marks a significant generational and regional shift in the party’s top leadership, with Baby becoming only the second leader from Kerala to hold this post after EMS Namboodiripad.
Following Yechury’s passing, former General Secretary Prakash Karat served as interim coordinator. The election of Baby was not without internal contestation — a section within the party had backed All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) president Ashok Dhawale, signalling divergent ideological currents within the CPI(M). However, Baby’s long-standing experience in the party and his deep organisational roots ultimately won him the top post.
Who is MA Baby?
Born on April 5, 1954, in Prakkulam, Kollam district of Kerala, Baby entered politics during his school years by joining the Kerala Students Federation, the predecessor of the Students' Federation of India (SFI). He continued his political activism during his student life at Sree Narayana College, Kollam, where he rose through the ranks of the SFI and later the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), eventually serving as the All India President of SFI and as Secretary of DYFI.
His national political career began with his election to the Rajya Sabha, where he served from 1986 to 1998. He was later elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly and held the Education and Culture portfolio as a minister in the V.S. Achuthanandan-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government from 2006 to 2011. During this tenure, he was known for promoting public education and cultural initiatives, earning praise even from outside ideological circles.
In 2012, Baby was elevated to the CPI(M) Politburo, the party’s apex decision-making body, solidifying his position as one of the key strategists within the organisation. His election as General Secretary is seen as an endorsement of his ideological steadfastness and administrative capability within the party structure.
Known for his articulate oratory, disciplined political style, and intellectual engagement with Marxist theory, Baby has often emphasised the importance of grassroots mobilisation and cultural activism. His election is also viewed as a sign of the CPI(M)’s continued reliance on Kerala’s leadership core, especially at a time when the party’s national presence has diminished and its influence is mostly concentrated in Kerala.
MA Baby is married to Betty Louis, who works as the Production Controller at Kairali TV, and the couple has one son, Ashok Betty Nelson. (With inputs from agencies)