Calcutta, April 3: Mohammed Amin, a former jute mill worker and labour minister, will be the new Citu general secretary.

The post fell vacant with the death of Chittabrata Mazumdar.

The decision to elevate vice-president Amin to the top post was taken at a meeting of the Citu national secretariat today. It will be formally ratified by the general council in May, Citu secretariat member and Rajya Sabha MP Tapan Sen said from Delhi.

“The choice was unanimous. He will officiate as acting general secretary henceforth,” Sen added.

Although not computer-savvy like his predecessor, the low-profile Amin, also a CPM state secretariat member, is not known for his opposition to the market-friendly Marxism of Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. But he has also not expressed zealous support to the Bengal government’s industry drive.

While Mazumdar had joined Citu president M.K. Pandhe in opposing the chief minister’s efforts to discourage bandhs in IT and resented real estate in SEZs, Amin was trying to make peace in traditional industries like jute, engineering and tea.

Citu leaders did not rule out Amin’s entry into the party politburo. Mazumdar was made a politburo member after being elected Citu general secretary in 2005.

“There is no such rule, though,” said Sen.

Two politburo vacancies have been created by the deaths of Mazumdar and then state CPM secretary Anil Biswas. They should be filled up before the next party congress in 2008, Sen said.