Former Kerala minister and two-time Rajya Sabha member M.A. Baby was elected CPM general secretary on Sunday at the 24th party congress in Madurai.

The session saw a generational shift, with some of the most prominent faces of the Left in India, including Prakash and Brinda Karat, bowing out of the party’s decision-making structures in keeping with the age limit of 75.

The Bengal unit and some others were not particularly keen on Baby and opposed his candidature when Prakash Karat proposed his name. But Baby sailed through when his name was put before the central committee, the CPM’s highest decision-making body.

After Bengal state secretary Mohammad Salim made it clear that he was not interested in contesting, an effort was made to pit All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) president and one of the architects of the 2020-21 farmers’ protest, Ashok Dhawale, as an alternative to Baby.

Given the Kerala unit’s heft in the CPM, however, this was an uphill task. Even Sitaram Yechury, who passed last September, had had to slug it out at earlier party congresses to get elected as general secretary.

Baby faces a tough ask, considering he is stepping into the shoes of Yechury, who had built links across the political spectrum and could bring divergent political parties together for the common goal of defeating the BJP.

He has the added challenge of having to lead the CPM through a generational change that has replaced some of its most prominent faces, chief among them former general secretary Prakash Karat and politburo member Brinda Karat.

Prakash Karat had been steering the party as coordinator since Yechury’s death.

Also out of the politburo, having attained the age of 75, are former Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar and Subhashini Ali. Altogether, eight among the old guard are out.

An attempt was made by some members of the outgoing central committee to have the age limit relaxed but Prakash Karat is said to have shot it down. The lone exception to the rule yet again is Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, 79.

The eight new faces in the politburo include Lok Sabha member Amra Ram, AIKS general secretary Vijoo Krishnan, All India Democratic Women’s Association general secretary Miriam Dhawale, trade unionist U. Vasuki, former Tamil Nadu MLA K. Balakrishnan and Tripura MLA Jitendra Choudhury.

The new 85-member central committee has 21 fresh entrants. The Karats, Subhashini Ali and Manik Sarkar have been made special invitees to the central committee, a category that now has seven members including former Bengal state secretary Biman Bose and former MP Hannan Mollah.