CPI(M) to give critical responsibilities to veterans without infringing on the 75-year age cap for inclusion in top committees

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] State secretariat on Friday (October 17, 2025) sought to pre-empt Opposition parties from politically manipulating the controversy surrounding veteran leader G. Sudhakaran’s public admission that he felt isolated and unwanted in the party in Alappuzha by signalling that it would invest senior leaders with critical responsibilities befitting their long service so they do not feel forlorn.

Notably, Mr. Sudhakaran had on Thursday accused the CPI(M) leadership in the district of publicly devaluing him and disregarding the cyberattacks against him. 

In an interview with The Hindu in Alappuzha on Thursday, Mr. Sudhakaran had singled out Culture Minister Saji Cherian for criticism, accusing the latter of throwing proleterian ethos to the wind by denouncing” him publicly and outside the organisational ambit of party committees.

Significantly, Mr. Sudhakaran expressed hesitancy to campaign for the government in the upcoming elections, doubting that his words would carry any traction with the electorate, given the “isolation” he faced within the CPI(M)‘s rank and file in Alappuzha.

CPI(M) State secretary M.V. Govindan told a press conference on Friday that when the age limit of 75 years constrains veteran leaders like Mr. Sudhakaran from assuming mainstream responsibilities in top party committees, they tend to become despondent. 

‘Expertise to be utilised’

“The party plans to revitalise them and use their experience and wisdom accumulated over decades by assigning them essential responsibilities. The CPI(M) would not leave any party member behind. It did not reckon any communist retired for good. The CPI(M) has many platforms to accommodate veterans and use their expertise fruitfully”, he stated. 

However, Mr. Govindan stated that the CPI(M) will accommodate veterans without infringing the party’s age cap imposed at its 23rd Congress in Kannur, Kerala, in 2022. 

At the 24th Party Congress in Madurai in 2025, at least seven leaders over 75 years old stepped down from the Polit Bureau. However, several, notably Prakash Karat, Manik Sarkar, Subhashini Ali and Brinda Karat, remained active in left-wing politics.

The 24th party congress gave an exemption to prominent leaders, namely Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, P.K. Sreemathy, and Mohammed Yusuf Tarigami, given the critical roles they executed in the political sphere. 

Mr. Sudhakaran, who had come under criticism for remaining inactive during the campaign phase of the 2021 Assembly elections, was subsequently exempted from the State committee in 2022, citing the 75-year age limit. He is currently a member of the Alappuzha District Committee’s branch committee.