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As it concludes its party Congress Sunday, the CPI(M) is to pick its next general secretary. The names of party M A Baby and Ashok Dhawale are currently doing the rounds.
As per sources, Baby, a Politburo member since 2012, is a strong contender for the post. In his favour is the backing of the party’s Kerala unit.
Meanwhile, a section in the party is pitching for All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) president Ashok Dhawale for the post. They believe agricultural issues need to be highlighted, with the CPI(M) looking at expanding its base in rural areas.
Sources said that Dhawale has the backing of the party unit in West Bengal. Many also feel that he will be helpful for the party in the Hindi belt.
With the INDIA opposition bloc being an important political formation against the BJP at the Centre, concerns are also there over the party’s role in the coalition with Baby at the helm of affairs, as the CPI(M) and the Congress are at loggerheads in Kerala.
Mohammed Salim, another senior Politburo member, is also among those being considered. However, sources said Salim has expressed his desire to continue as the secretary of the party’s West Bengal unit.
The name of B V Raghavulu, a leader from Telangana and the seniormost CPI(M) Politburo member, is also doing the rounds. Another section of the party feels that senior leader Brinda Karat should be considered for the post.
While the CPI(M) has imposed an age limit of 75 years for Central Committee members, relaxations can be given in some cases. However, the issue is yet to be discussed.
In Context: In the past, battle lines have been drawn several times between the party’s Kerala and West Bengal lobbies.
In 1996, when Jyoti Basu was offered the prime ministerial position, the Kerala lobby had taken a stand against it and Basu had turned down the offer.
There was also a difference of opinion between the two lobbies on withdrawing support to the Manmohan Singh government in 2007.
In 2015, when Sitaram Yechury was picked as the party’s general secretary, Kerala leaders had backed S R Pillai, who later withdrew from the race.
On Sunday, the outgoing Central Committee will recommend the names for the election of the new members at the 24th CPI(M) Congress.
Delegates can raise objections to any of the names proposed. They can also recommend new names, with the prior approval of the members concerned.
The Central Committee would also elect from among its members the Politburo, including the general secretary. The number of Politburo members is decided by the Central Committee.
The general secretary’s post in the CPI(M) fell vacant after Yechury died last year. Prakash Karat took charge as the party’s interim coordinator after Yechury’s demise.
According to the CPI-M’s constitution, the All-India Party Congress is the supreme organ of the organisation and is convened by the Central Committee ordinarily once every three years.
The BJP will celebrate its 45th foundation day through various programmes across Uttar Pradesh on Sunday.
BJP state chief Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary on Saturday said a committee had been formed at the state level to oversee the programmes. The party’s state general secretary Sanjay Rai has been made convenor of the committee. The BJP was founded on April 6, 1980.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be on a three-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir from Sunday, during which he will tour a forward post along the India-Pakistan border and review the security situation and development initiatives in the Union Territory.
Officials said Shah will reach Jammu on Sunday evening and attend a meeting of BJP MLAs and office bearers.
The next day, he will visit the BSF Border Out Post Vinay in Kathua and assess the ground situation there. Later in the day, he will meet the family members of the martyrs of the Jammu and Kashmir Police at Raj Bhavan in Jammu and also present appointment letters to some of them selected on compassionate grounds.
— With PTI inputs
