The CPI(M) Party Congress held in Madurai has elected M.A. Baby (71), a seasoned party leader from Kerala, as its sixth General Secretary on April 6. While this announcement marks a formal change in the party’s leadership, many within and outside the organisation see little cause for celebration, as the CPI(M) continues to shrink nationally and consolidate into a Kerala-centric outfit under the virtual leadership of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Baby, a lifelong cadre, started his political career with the Kerala Students Federation (KSF), the progenitor of SFI. Over the decades, he rose through the ranks—holding positions as state and national president of both SFI and DYFI, eventually earning spots in the state committee and the state secretariat. Between 2006 and 2011, he served as Education Minister in the LDF government led by CPM veteran V.S. Achuthanandan. He was later inducted into the Polit Bureau during the 20th Party Congress in Kozhikode in 2012. With this elevation, Baby becomes the sixth General Secretary and the second Keralite after ideologue E.M.S. Namboodiripad to hold the post.
However, despite his credentials, party watchers believe Baby’s elevation is symbolic at best. The party’s strength has drastically diminished outside Kerala. Once a powerful force in Bengal and Tripura, CPI(M) has now been reduced to a marginal player in these states where it once ruled for decades. In contrast, Kerala remains the party’s last stronghold — the only unit still possessing organisational machinery, financial muscle, and manpower.
In fact, the CPI(M) in Kerala is now seen as the largest employer in the state after the government itself. The state unit not only funds the party’s national activities but also dictates its direction. As such, Kerala calls the shots in all matters — and Pinarayi Vijayan, the Kerala Chief Minister, is widely seen as the de facto boss of the party.
While M.A. Baby takes on the mantle of General Secretary, insiders admit he will operate under the will and pleasure of Pinarayi. The central committee and Polit Bureau are increasingly perceived as mere extensions of the Kerala unit. Decisions at the national level reflect the priorities of the state leadership, and by all accounts, Pinarayi remains in firm control.
The newly elected leader has outlined the three major tasks emphasised by the 24th Party Congress: resisting the Modi government’s perceived attack on the Constitution and secular democratic values, building a broad anti-neo-class political front, and strengthening the CPI(M) as an independent force by uniting leftist parties, mass organisations, and progressive voices.
But critics argue that lofty resolutions aside, the party lacks the national footprint or credibility to mount any meaningful resistance outside Kerala. The appointment of M.A. Baby, in this light, appears to be less a step toward renewal and more a reinforcement of the status quo — with Pinarayi Vijayan continuing to pull the strings from behind the curtain.
