The 24th Party Congress, the 24th Party Congress of the CPI(M) concluded at the Temple City of Madurai on Sunday with the anointment of 71-year-old MA Baby as the new General Secretary of the party for the next three years.

It was on expected lines as MA Baby became the first ever Christian leader in the CPI(M) to be elevated to the top job. Baby, an internationally respected Marxist leader enjoys close rapport with the leaders of the church and the CPI(M) hopes to woo the community members through his networking talents.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP represent the new Fascist forces and we are the only people capable of defeating their Hindu agenda. We will join hands with the Congress in our efforts to decimate the BJP,” Baby said about his future plans.

The choice of Baby for the top job was much against the wishes of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who wanted one of his sidekicks to be the next general secretary. The disappointment was written largely on the face of Vijayan who shared the dais with Baby. Within minutes of his assuming charge as the General Secretary, Baby made it known that Vijayan is unlikely to get a third term as CM in the eventuality of the CPI(M)-led LDF returns to power in the 2026 Assembly election.

“It goes without saying that Vijayan would lead the party as well as the LDF in the election. But whether he would be the chief minister is to be discussed after the polls,” said Baby while speaking to reporters after the polit bureau and central committee meetings held prior to singing the Communist International.

MA Baby delivered another punch to the faction led by Vijayan by denying Mohammed Riyaz a membership in the Central Committee, the highest decision making body of the party. Vijayan had hoped to induct Riyaz, his son-in-law, as a member of the Central Committee to facilitate his elevation as CM in case the former becomes incapacitated due to ailments tormenting him. In yet another message to the party cadres that the internal dynamics of the party has changed irrevocably, Baby ensured that John Brittas was inducted as a special invitee in the Central Committee.

The Baby-Thomas Issac-Brittas combination has full control of the CPI(M) now, according to long time observers of the party. Those who crossed the age of 75 have been shown the door though some party veterans like Prakash Karat, spouse Brinda Karat, Subhashini Ali and Manik Sarkar have been kicked upstairswith the designation of special invitees or permanent invitees. The party leadership chose to retain PK Sreemathy, the yesteryear glamour girl of the party in the CC as a mark of gratitude for the services rendered by her in the past. The example of MC Josephine, a former leader, who was dropped from the CC in the last party Congress held at Kannur is still fresh in their minds.

When she was told that she has been dropped from the CC, a shocked Josephine collapsed and breathed her last in the venue itself. The revised CC has 84 members while the polit bureau has been strengthened by inducting new faces like Mariam Dhavale, Vaiju Krishna etc. Not much is known about these people except that they are intellectual giants and command big respect in countries like China, Cuba and Vietnam.