From Student Struggles to Party Leadership: M.A. Baby to Lead CPI(M)

Madurai: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has chosen M.A. Baby to lead its next chapter, electing him as General Secretary at the 24th Party Congress held in Madurai. The proposal was put forward by Polit Bureau member Mohammed Salim and endorsed by Ashok Dhawale, with the formal announcement made by Kerala Chief Minister and Polit Bureau member Pinarayi Vijayan. This moment marks a pivotal chapter in the party’s history—rooted in collective decision-making and guided by a leader whose life has been inseparable from the party’s ideological path, organisational commitment, and long-standing engagement with people’s struggles.
For decades, M.A. Baby has stood at the helm of the party’s critical moments—organising youth, engaging with intellectual currents, and speaking from the ground as much as from the legislature. A calm strategist, a consistent voice of the Left, and a comrade forged through resistance and reform, his leadership represents both continuity and clarity at a time when CPI(M) is navigating political shifts and redefining its mass connect. Baby’s rise is not simply a generational transition—it is a deep-rooted reaffirmation of the values that built the party from the soil of popular movements.
Born in Prakkulam in 1954, Baby began his education at Prakkulam Panchayat LP School, NSS School, and Kollam SN College. His political consciousness sharpened early. By 1974, he had become the youngest member of the SFI Central Executive Committee, and just a year later, was elected President of the SFI Kerala unit. In 1977, he joined the Kollam District Committee of the CPI(M), and in 1978, represented India at the World Youth Student Conference in Havana.
In 1979, he became All-India President of the SFI, deepening his role in national youth politics. His entry into the Kerala State Committee in 1984, and then into the Rajya Sabha in 1986, placed him among the youngest parliamentarians in India at the time. He served in the Rajya Sabha until 1998, also being part of the Chairperson’s Panel, and earning a reputation for thoughtful and principled interventions.
His responsibilities in the party structure continued to expand through the years—became All-India President of DYFI in 1987, Central Committee member in 1989, inducted into the Central Secretariat in 1992, and later the State Secretariat in 1997. That same year, he delivered a speech at the United Nations General Assembly, carrying the voice of India’s Left onto the global stage.
In 2006, Baby was elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly from Kundara and appointed as the state’s Minister for Education and Culture. His tenure was marked by progressive reforms. Kalamandalam was granted university status, the Kochi-Muziris Biennale—now globally acclaimed—was initiated, the Artists Welfare Fund Act was enacted, and the Higher Education Council was established by law. These were not isolated policies, but part of a wider effort to democratise education and support the cultural workforce of Kerala.
Baby became a Polit Bureau member in 2012. His politics has always carried the imprint of personal struggle. During the Emergency, he was imprisoned multiple times and subjected to brutal police torture—an experience that shaped his quiet intensity and lifelong political resolve.
Apart from politics, M.A. Baby is also a prolific writer and editor. His publications include Ente SFI kaalam, Varoo Ee Chora Kaanu: Bushinethire kalakaaranmar (co-written with Shibu Muhammad), MGS Thurannukaatappedunnu, Arivinte Velicham Naadinte Thelicham, Kristhu Marx Sreenarayanaguru (co-edited with Babu John). As editor, he has worked on volumes such as Noam Chomsky: Noottandinte manassaakshi, Dr. Velukkutty Arayan, ONV: Snehaaksharangalile Uppu, Philippose Mar Chrysostom Valiya Methrapolitha, Yuvajana Prasthana Charithram.
In recognition of his contributions to culture, he was honoured in 2013 with the first Arjun Singh Award, instituted by Abhinav Rangamandal.
M.A. Baby is married to Betty Louis. Their son, Ashok Betty Nelson, along with daughter-in-law Sanidha and grandchildren Tanay and Ran, remain close companions through his political and personal life.
As he steps into this new role, Baby brings with him not just the lessons of experience, but the energy of a political life lived with purpose—from student rallies to policy rooms, from protest marches to the Parliament floor. His leadership will be watched not only within the party but across a national political landscape in flux.