Prakash Karat back at CPI(M) helm; will it impact the INDIA bloc?

The CPI(M) has turned to veteran Prakash Karat, a three-term general secretary and Left hardliner, to steer the party until a full-time general secretary is elected next year — but there is unlikely to be any major change in its stance.

Karat's name was agreed upon by the Politburo, which met on Friday and Saturday, 27–28 September, following the demise of Sitaram Yechury, and the proposal was placed before its Central Committee on Sunday, 29 September.

Even as some leaders said there was a need to explore options for a younger face, sources said several senior leaders felt Karat had the experience to lead the party as they prepare for the next CPI(M) congress to be held in April 2025.

The CPI(M) Congress is held every three years to elect the Central Committee and to decide the party line.

While Karat's appointment has led to speculation about a possible change in the party's stance, especially on the issue of alliances, a leader who did not want to be named said they are not expecting any immediate change in the party line.

"The CPI(M) and its organisation have been working on the ground against communalisation and corporatisation. We are continuing with the approach of bringing together the secular-democratic forces," the leader said.

"In the party congress next year, the party line will be discussed in detail. Right now, there are upcoming assembly polls in Maharashtra, where the INDIA bloc will do well, as well as in Jharkhand," the leader said.

The CPI(M) has fielded a candidate each in the ongoing Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls as a part of alliances among INDIA bloc parties. It is also hoping to contest some seats in Maharashtra and Jharkhand.

Karat, an erudite writer and a staunch Marxist, is known for his emphasis on taking ideological positions — unlike Yechury, who was considered more pragmatic.

In 2005, when Karat took over as the general secretary from Harkishan Singh Surjeet, the CPI(M) had 43 MPs in the Lok Sabha, an electoral peak for the party.

However, when the issue of the Indo–US nuclear deal came up, Karat took a position against it, and the party decided to withdraw support from the UPA in 2008, a year before the next general elections. Yechury, who was a part of the UPA–Left coordination committee along with Karat, had opposed the idea.

While the UPA government survived the following general elections in 2009, the CPI(M)'s tally came down to 16 seats in the Lok Sabha.

In 2018, ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Karat had once again opposed any alliance or understanding with the Congress, and the Central Committee of the CPI(M) had rejected the proposal for a tie-up with the Congress.

However, in the run-up to the 2024 general elections, the CPI(M) led by Yechury played a key role in bringing together the INDIA bloc, a contribution that was appreciated by Karat recently.

Speaking at a programme in Agartala, Karat mentioned how Yechury played a key role in forming the INDIA bloc to resist the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections.

He also said Yechury had started work for the 24th party congress with the objective to "strengthen the party's own base as well as enhance the secular forces to thwart the BJP and RSS".

The CPI(M)'s party congress is scheduled to be held in April 2025 in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, where the next general secretary of the party will be elected.