Change of guard

The election of MA Baby as the new general secretary of the CPI(M) is as much about generational change as it is about internal consolidation. With the powerful Kerala unit backing his elevation — and despite preferences from Maharashtra and Bengal for Ashok Dhawale — the transition marks a continuation of Kerala’s dominance within the party. But symbolism alone will not arrest the party’s decline. Baby inherits a party that is deeply fractured and electorally marginalised. The party congress in Madurai showcased rare internal contests, including a secret vote to the Central Committee, highlighting undercurrents of dissatisfaction. Despite the application of the 75-year age cap removing veterans like Prakash and Brinda Karat from the Politburo, exceptions such as the retention of 79-year-old Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expose contradictions in the party’s renewal narrative.

The challenges before Baby are daunting. The CPI(M) has collapsed in its former strongholds — West Bengal and Tripura — and its presence in national politics has dwindled to a mere four Lok Sabha seats. While Kerala remains a stronghold, even that is under pressure as the party bids for an unprecedented third consecutive term in 2026. Baby must rebuild the party’s mass base in Bengal and Tripura, expand into new regions like the north and Northeast and reconnect with working-class and marginalised communities. While he talks of countering the BJP’s “neo-fascist tendencies” and raising people’s issues, the party’s inability to convert its pro-poor rhetoric into mass mobilisation remains a core problem.

The induction of younger faces like Vijoo Krishnan and R Arun Kumar into the Politburo is a welcome shift. But unless the party’s ideological clarity is matched with electoral pragmatism, the “refresh” will remain cosmetic. From crisis to opportunity — Baby must now prove that this is more than just a Kerala-centric rearrangement.

Editorials