The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Sunday (April 6) elected MA Baby as its new general secretary, marking a significant moment for the party.
Marian Alexander Baby, a seasoned politician and a prominent figure from Kerala, became the third Malayali and the second Keralite to hold this prestigious position in the party’s nearly six-decade-long history. His ascent to leadership came at a time when the CPI(M) sought to reinvigorate its base and adapt to the shifting political landscape of India.
Return to party’s Kerala roots
The CPI(M) has had a storied lineage of general secretaries, each leaving an indelible mark on the party’s ideology and strategy.
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The list includes luminaries like EMS Namboodiripad, the first Malayali and Keralite to lead the party and Kerala’s first chief minister and the first ever communist leader to be democratically elected as state chief in the world followed by P Sundarayya, Harkishen Singh Surjeet, Prakash Karat, and Sitaram Yechury.
While Prakash Karat, another Malayali, served as the general secretary from 2005 to 2015, he had long settled in Delhi, distancing him from the grassroots Kerala identity that Baby proudly embodies. Baby’s election, therefore, was seen as a homecoming of sorts—a return to the party’s Kerala roots, where it has historically enjoyed significant influence.
Rise through the ranks
MA Baby’s journey to the top echelons of the CPI(M) began decades ago, rooted in the fiery student activism of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the party’s student wing. Born on April 5, 1954, in the lush, politically charged district of Kollam in Kerala, Baby grew up in a milieu where leftist ideals were as much a part of life as monsoon rains.
As a teenager, Baby was drawn to the Kerala Students Federation, the predecessor of SFI during the turbulent 1970s, a period marked by political upheaval and the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi’s government.
Baby quickly rose through the ranks of the SFI, displaying a rare blend of intellectual rigour and organisational acumen. By the time he was in his early 20s, he had become a prominent student leader, mobilising young people across Kerala’s campuses to fight for equitable education and workers’ rights. His fiery speeches, delivered in a resonant Malayalam that connected with the masses, earned him a reputation as a leader who could bridge the gap between ideology and action.
Face of leftist movement
As an active leader of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), where he played a crucial role in mobilising youth across Kerala, he became the face of the leftist movement in the late 70s and early 80s. His tenure saw him champion progressive causes and initiate cultural programmes that blended activism with artistic expression.
Baby’s international exposure through youth delegations and global forums gave him a broader perspective on leftist movements and cultural resistance. He used these insights to enrich DYFI’s outreach, promoting theatre, literature, and cinema as tools for social change. His leadership helped shape a generation of politically conscious, culturally rooted young activists in Kerala.
Transition into state, national politics
After his stint in the DYFI, Baby transitioned into parliamentary politics, through CPI(M) and had been a member of Rajya Sabha from 1986 to 1998. He had been a member of the politburo of the party since 2012.
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He was a member of Kerala legislative assembly from 2006-2016. His tenure as Kerala’s Education Minister from 2006 to 2011 was particularly notable. Baby spearheaded reforms to modernise the state’s education system while ensuring it remained accessible to the marginalised. His policies earned him both praise and criticism, but his commitment to the CPI(M)’s core principles never wavered.
He unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha elections from Kollam in 2014.
Challenging road ahead
Baby’s rise to the post of general secretary was not without its challenges. The CPI(M) had faced electoral setbacks in recent years, particularly outside its only remaining stronghold of Kerala. Even in Kerala, the party faced a serious rout in the last Lok Sabha elections.
The death of Sitaram Yechury in late 2024 left a void in the party’s leadership, prompting a fierce debate over its future direction. Some advocated for a more pragmatic leader to appeal to the rest of India, while others pushed for a return to the party’s ideological roots. Baby emerged a veteran with deep ties to the party’s history, yet someone who understood the need for reinvention.
At the party congress in early 2025, held in Kochi, Baby’s name was proposed amid thunderous applause. His speech, a blend of Marxist theory and practical vision, struck a chord with delegates.
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His election as the general secretary, amid opposition from the West Bengal unit, which preferred Ashok Dhawle from Maharashtra who has been at the forefront of the farmers’ struggles across the country, signalled the party’s faith in his ability to navigate its challenges.
Beginning of a new chapter
As the third Malayali and second Keralite to lead the CPI(M), Baby carries the legacy of EMS Namboodiripad and the ideological steadfastness of Prakash Karat, who, though Malayali by birth, had made Delhi his political home. Unlike Karat, Baby’s leadership style—grounded in grassroots mobilisation, honed through years in the SFI—sets him apart from his predecessors.
For the CPI(M), Baby’s election is a gamble and a promise. At 71, he brings experience, but also the urgency to mentor a new generation of leaders. As he takes the helm, the party’s followers hope that he can revive its fortunes, blending the idealism of its past with the realities of a rapidly changing India. For MA Baby, the boy from Kollam who once rallied students under the red flag, this is the culmination of a lifelong struggle—and the beginning of a new chapter.