New Delhi: Sitaram Yechury has been elected CPM General Secretary for the third time. The party’s 23rd Congress, which concluded in Kannur on Sunday, also elected a 17-member Politburo and an 85-member Central Committee. Dalit representation will happen for the first time in the history of PB because of Ram Chandra Dom.
Three new faces have joined the Politburo. Others who were elected include Ashok Dhawale, president of the All India Kisan Sabha, and Ram Chandra Dom, a notable West Bengal leader. Senior Kerala leader and LDF convener A Vijayaraghavan made it to Kerala’s highest decision-making body, The New Indian Express reported.
Despite the fact that the name of veteran Kerala leader AK Balan was being floated, the party chose Ram Chandra Dome.
The New Indian Express quoted Yechury as saying, “For the first time, a Dalit in the party is joining the Politburo.”
S Ramachandran Pillai of Kerala, Biman Bose of West Bengal and Hannan Mulla of West Bengal were expelled from the Politburo after reaching the age of 75. All three will be included in the Central Committee as special invitees.
The party also named its new Central Committee, which has 85 members, including 17 newcomers. There are total 15 women members. One slot was left blank. This time the CC has been reduced from 95 to 84 in 2018.
Ministers KN Balagopal and P Rajeev were elected to the central committee as predicted.
This time two women from the state have been elected to the central committee. These include former MP CS Sujatha and Kerala Women’s Commission chairperson P Satheedevi.
Both of them are the presidents of All India Democratic Women’s Association. Kerala’s P Karunakaran, Vaikom Viswan and MC Josephine were sacked from the central committee.