Newly elected CPM gen secy Baby cut his teeth in school, joining SFI's predecessor

MADURAI: Newly elected CPI (Marxist) general secretary MA Baby was marked for success, having been exposed to political machinations as a schoolboy.

The former Kerala minister was elected to the top post of CPM at the 24th party congress here on Sunday. Born to PM Alexander and Lilly Alexander in Kerala's Prakkulam in 1954, Baby attended Prakkulam Lower Primary School and Prakkulam NSS High School.

He had his first exposure to politics when he joined the Kerala Students Federation, the predecessor of the Students Federation of India, when he was still a school lad. He joined SN College, Kollam, for bachelors in political ccience, however, could not finish the course.

Baby held many positions in the SFI and the Democratic Youth Federation of India earlier. The CPM leader served as a member of the Rajya Sabha from 1986 to 1998, and later became MLA from the Kundara constituency for two terms from 2006 to 2016. He also served as the Education Minister of Kerala from 2006 to 2011. Baby has been a member of the Politburo, the highest decision-making body of the CPM, since 2012. In 2014, he fought the Lok Sabha polls from Kollam against NK Premachandran of the Revolutionary Socialist Party, but lost. He is married to Betty Louis and has a son, Ashok Betty Nelson.

The post of the party general secretary fell vacant following the death of Sitaram Yechury last year, after which Prakash Karat took over as the interim coordinator. The 24th Party Congress of the CPM began on April 2 and concluded on Sunday.

Earlier, a section of the party leaders had backed All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) president Ashok Dhawale for the post. But a consensus was reached later.