MA Baby elected CPM gen secretary

Madurai: Veteran leader MA Baby was on Sunday elected CPM general secretary at its 24th All India Party Congress. A former state minister, Baby is the second leader from the party's Kerala unit to be elected to the top post, following in the footsteps of CPM stalwart EMS Namboodiripad. While Prakash Karat -- who served as general secretary between 2005 and 2015 -- hails from Kerala, he belonged to the party's Delhi unit. Baby is also the first CPM general secretary from a minority group. A section of leaders had put their weight behind All India Kisan Sabha president Ashok Dhawale for the top post. Sources said Surya Kanta Mishra, Nilotpal Basu, Mohd Salim and Ramchandra Dome were among those who backed Dhawale. Karat, who served as interim coordinator in the run-up to the congress following the passing of general secretary Sitaram Yechury, said, "The congress has chalked out a political line for the future, the organisational steps needed to take the party forward and, on that basis, it has elected a new leadership, a new Central Committee, a new Politburo and a new general secretary."