The Politburo, also known as the Political Bureau, is the highest executive authority of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)). Its members are elected by the Central Committee, which is in turn elected at the Party Congress, typically convened every three years.
History Many a time in the history of the Politburo, it has experienced periods of dissent and ideological tensions.
For instance, E. M. S. Namboodiripad, a co-founder of CPI(M), general secretary from 1978 to 1992 and member of the Politburo from 1964 to 1998, conducted some expulsions within the Central Committee, to combat those engaging in revisionism as well as those affected by supposed "bourgeois parliamentary mentality".
Functions and composition
Elections The All-India Party Congress, typically convened every three years, serves as the supreme authority of the CPI(M). Between sessions of the Party Congress, the Central Committee functions as the highest decision-making body. The Central Committee elects a Politburo from among its members, including the General Secretary, who is the party's principal leader.
Functions The Politburo functions as the executive body responsible for carrying out the work of the Central Committee between its sessions. It has the authority to make political and organisational decisions in the period between two meetings of the Central Committee. Additionally, the Politburo oversees the Central Secretariat, which manages the party's day-to-day operations and assists in the implementation of decisions taken by the Central Committee.
Current Politburo Members The 24th Politburo was elected at the 24th Party Congress, held in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, from 2 to 6 April 2025. M. A. Baby was elected as general secretary of CPI(M). Jitendra Chaudhury became the first-ever Adivasi member of the Politburo. The 24th Politburo saw eight new members introduced, with six members stepping down.
Portrait Name NoteM. A. BabyGeneral SecretaryMember of Central SecretariatFormer Minister for Education and Culture in KeralaFormer Member of Parliament, Rajya SabhaB. V. RaghavuluMember of Central SecretariatFormer Andhra Pradesh State Secretary Pinarayi VijayanMember of Kerala State Secretariat Former Chief Minister of KeralaTapan SenFormer CITU General Secretary CITU Vice PresidentFormer Member of Parliament, Rajya SabhaNilotpal BasuFormer SFI General SecretaryFormer Member of Parliament, Rajya SabhaA. VijayaraghavanAIAWU PresidentFormer LDF ConvenorFormer Member of Parliament, Lok SabhaFormer Member of Parliament, Rajya SabhaMohammed SalimWest Bengal State SecretaryFormer Member of Parliament, Rajya SabhaFormer Minister for Technical Education and Training, Youth Welfare, Minority Development and Welfare, Self Employment in West BengalFormer Member of Parliament, Lok SabhaAshok DhawaleAIKS PresidentFormer Maharashtra State SecretaryRam Chandra DomeMember of West Bengal State SecretariatFormer Member of Parliament, Lok SabhaM. V. GovindanKerala State SecretaryMember of Legislative Assembly, KeralaFormer Minister for Local Self Governments and Excise in KeralaJitendra ChoudhuryTripura State SecretaryLeader of Opposition in Tripura Legislative AssemblyFormer Minister of Forest and Industry, Commerce, Sports in TripuraFormer Member of Parliament, Lok SabhaK. BalakrishnanFormer Tamil Nadu State SecretaryFormer Member of Legislative Assembly, Tamil NaduU. VasukiAIDWA Vice President Amra RamAIKS Vice PresidentMember of Parliament, Lok SabhaFormer Member of Legislative Assembly, RajasthanSrideep BhattacharyaMember of West Bengal State Secretariat Vijoo KrishnanAIKS General SecretaryMariam DhawaleFormer AIDWA General SecretaryR. Arun KumarFormer SFI President
List of Party Congresses
CongressDateLocationElected Secretary24th2 – 6 April 2025Madurai, Tamil NaduM. A. Baby23rd6 – 10 April 2022Kannur, KeralaSitaram Yechury22nd18 – 22 April 2018Hyderabad, Telangana21stApril 2015Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh20thApril 2012Calicut, KeralaPrakash Karat19th29 March – 3 April 2008Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu18th6 – 11 April 2005New Delhi, Delhi17th19 – 24 March 2002Hyderabad, Andhra PradeshHarkishan Singh Surjeet16th5 – 11 October 1998Calcutta, West Bengal15th3 – 8 April 1995Chandigarh, Punjab14th3 – 9 January 1992Madras, Tamil Nadu13th27 December 1988 – 1 January 1989Trivandrum, KeralaE. M. S. Namboodiripad12th25 – 29 December 1985Calcutta, West Bengal11th26 – 31 January 1982Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh10th2 – 8 April 1978Jalandar, Punjab9th27 June – 2 July 1972Madurai, Tamil NaduPuchalapalli Sundarayya8th23 – 29 December 1968Cochin, Kerala7th31 October – 7 November 1964Calcutta, West Bengal
List of Past Politburo Members 23rd Politburo 23rd Party Congress Date: 6 – 10 April 2022 Venue: Kannur, Kerala
A 17-member Politburo was elected by the Central Committee with Sitaram Yechury as the General Secretary for the third consecutive time. Ram Chandra Dome became the first Dalit leader to be inducted into the Politburo, marking a historic milestone. Sitaram Yechury, General Secretary (died on 12 September 2024) Prakash Karat (Interim Coordinator from 29 September 2024) Pinarayi Vijayan Brinda Karat Manik Sarkar Kodiyeri Balakrishnan (died on 1 October 2022) M. A. Baby Surjya Kanta Mishra Mohammed Salim Subhashini Ali B. V. Raghavulu G. Ramakrishnan Tapan Kumar Sen Nilotpal Basu Ram Chandra Dome A. Vijayaraghavan Ashok Dhawale M.V. Govindan (inducted on 31 October 2022)
22nd Politburo The 22nd Congress of the CPI(M) held between 18 and 22 April 2018 at Hyderabad, Telangana elected a 95-member Central Committee. There were also six special invitees and two permanent invitees to the Central Committee. The Central Committee at its meeting held on 22 April 2018 at the conclusion of the Congress elected a 17-member Politburo. The C.C. also re-elected Com. Sitaram Yechury as the General Secretary. Sitaram Yechury, General Secretary Prakash Karat S. Ramachandran Pillai Biman Bose Manik Sarkar Brinda Karat Pinarayi Vijayan Hannan Mollah Kodiyeri Balakrishnan M. A. Baby Surjya Kanta Mishra Mohammed Salim Subhashini Ali B. V. Raghavulu G. Ramakrishnan Tapan Kumar Sen Nilotpal Basu
21st Politburo The 21st Politburo was elected at the 21st party congress of CPI(M), held in Visakhapatnam in April 2015. Sitaram Yechury, General Secretary Subhashini Ali M. A. Baby Kodiyeri Balakrishnan Biman Bose Surja Kanta Mishra Prakash Karat A. K. Padmanabhan B. V. Raghavulu S. Ramachandran Pillai G.Ramakrishnan Mohammed Salim Manik Sarkar Pinarayi Vijayan Brinda Karat Hannan Mollah
20th Politburo The 20th Politburo was elected at the 20th party congress of CPI(M), held in Calicut in April 2012.https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/karat-re-elected-cpi-m-general-secretary-for-third-term/cid/429324 Prakash Karat, General Secretary M. A. Baby Kodiyeri Balakrishnan Buddhadeb Bhattacharya Biman Bose Brinda Karat Surja Kanta Mishra A. K. Padmanabhan B.V. Raghavulu S. Ramachandran Pillai Manik Sarkar Nirupam Sen K. Varadarajan Pinarayi Vijayan Sitaram Yechury
19th Politburo The 19th Politburo was elected at the 19th party congress of CPI(M), held in Coimbatore from 29 March – 3 April 2008. Former Chief Minister of West Bengal Jyoti Basu was designated as a special invitee to the Politburo. Prakash Karat, General Secretary V. S. Achuthanandan (removed from the politburo on 12 July 2009Jayanth Jacob (12 July 2009). . The Telegraph. Retrieved 19 April 2015.) Sitaram Yechury Mohammed Amin Kodiyeri Balakrishnan Buddhadeb Bhattacharya Biman Bose Brinda Karat M. K. Pandhe B.V. Raghavulu S. Ramachandran Pillai Manik Sarkar Nirupam Sen K. Varadarajan Pinarayi Vijayan
18th Politburo The 18th Politburo was elected at the 18th party congress of CPI(M), held in Delhi from 6–11 April 2005. Prakash Karat, General Secretary V. S. Achuthanandan Jyoti Basu Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Anil Biswas (died on 26 March 2006) Biman Bose Brinda Karat Chittabrata Majumdar (died on 20 February 2007) M. K. Pandhe S. Ramachandran Pillai B. V. Raghavulu Harkishan Singh Surjeet Manik Sarkar R. Umanath K. Varadarajan Pinarayi Vijayan Sitaram Yechury
17th Politburo The 17th Politburo was elected at the 17th party congress of CPI(M), held in Hyderabad from 19 to 24 March 2002. Harkishan Singh Surjeet, General Secretary V. S. Achuthanandan E. Balanandan Jyoti Basu Biman Bose Anil Biswas Sailen Dasgupta Prakash Karat E. K. Nayanar M. K. Pandhe S. Ramachandran Pillai P. Ramachandran Buddhadeb Bhattacharya Koratala Satyanarayana R. Umanath Sitaram Yechury Manik Sarkar Pinarayi Vijayan
16th Politburo The 16th Politburo was elected at the 16th party congress of CPI(M), held in Calcutta from 5–11 October 1998. Harkishan Singh Surjeet, General Secretary V. S. Achuthanandan E. Balanandan Jyoti Basu Benoy Choudhury Sailen Dasgupta Prakash Karat E. K. Nayanar S. Ramachandran Pillai P. Ramachandran R. Umanath Sitaram Yechury Moturu Hanumantha Rao
15th Politburo The 15th Politburo was elected at the 15th party congress of CPI(M), held in Chandigarh from 3–8 April 1995. Harkishan Singh Surjeet, General Secretary V. S. Achuthanandan E. Balanandan Jyoti Basu Benoy Choudhury Sailen Dasgupta Prakash Karat Sunil Maitra E. M. S. Namboodiripad E. K. Nayanar S. Ramachandran Pillai P. Ramachandran L.B.G. Rao R. Umanath Sitaram Yechury A. Nallasivan Moturu Hanumantha Rao
14th Politburo The 14th Politburo was elected at the 14th party congress of CPI(M), held in Madras from 3–9 January 1992. Harkishan Singh Surjeet, General Secretary V. S. Achuthanandan E. Balanandan Jyoti Basu Nripen Chakraborty Benoy Chaudhury Sailen Dasgupta Prakash Karat Sunil Maitra A. Nallasivan E. M. S. Namboodiripad E. K. Nayanar S. Ramachandran Pillai P. Ramachandran L.B.G. Rao M. Hanumantha Rao Sitaram Yechury
13th Politburo The 13th Politburo was elected at the 13th party congress of CPI(M), held in Trivandrum from 27 December 1988 to 1 January 1989.Sreedhar Pillai (31 January 1989). "Vote for continuity: 13th party congress of CPI(M) in Trivandrum one of the most significant in its history" . India Today. Retrieved 19 April 2015. E. M. S. Namboodiripad, General Secretary B. T. Ranadive (Died on 6 April 1990) M. Basavapunniah Harkishan Singh Surjeet Jyoti Basu Samar Mukherjee E. Balanandan Nripen Chakraborty Saroj Mukherjee V. S. Achuthanandan A. Nallasivan L.B.G. Rao
12th Politburo The 12th Politburo was elected at the 12th party congress of CPI(M), held in Calcutta from 25 to 29 December 1985. E. M. S. Namboodiripad, General Secretary B. T. Ranadive M. Basavapunniah Harkishan Singh Surjeet Jyoti Basu Samar Mukherjee E. Balanandan Nripen Chakraborty Saroj Mukherjee V. S. Achuthanandan
11th Politburo The 11th Politburo was elected at the 11th party congress of CPI(M), held in Vijayawada from 26 to 31 January 1982. E. M. S. Namboodiripad, General Secretary B. T. Ranadive M. Basavapunniah P. Ramamurthi Promode Dasgupta (died on 29 November 1982) Jyoti Basu Harkishan Singh Surjeet Samar Mukherjee E. Balanandan
10th Politburo The 10th Politburo was elected at the 10th party congress of CPI(M), held in Jalandhar from 2–8 April 1978. E. M. S. Namboodiripad, General Secretary B. T. Ranadive P. Sundarayya M. Basavapunniah P. Ramamurthi Harkishan Singh Surjeet Jyoti Basu Promode Dasgupta Samar Mukherjee A. Balasubramaniam (died on 5 September 1981) E. Balanandan
9th Politburo The 9th Politburo was elected at the 10th party congress of CPI(M), held in Madurai from 27 June – 2 July 1972. P. Sundarayya, General Secretary E. M. S. Namboodiripad A. K. Gopalan M. Basavapunniah P. Ramamurthi B. T. Ranadive Harkishan Singh Surjeet Promode Dasgupta Jyoti Basu
8th Politburo The 8th Politburo was elected at the 8th party congress of CPI(M), held in Kochi from 23 to 29 December 1968. P. Sundarayya, General Secretary B. T. Ranadive M. Basavapunniah E. M. S. Namboodiripad Promode Dasgupta Jyoti Basu