Two female leaders from Bangladesh were elected to the Central Committee of CPI (M)

CPI(M)CADRETHE’s Red Flag Parade was held at the 24th Congress in Madurai on April 6, 2025. Image source: G. Moorthy

Two new female leaders from West Bengal have been selected for the Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxism). The famous young leader Minakshi Mukherjee is one of the party’s highest decision-making bodies.

In the newly elected Central Committee, the finalized meeting was completed in Madurai on Sunday (6 April 2025), five new members from West Bengal were selected to join the 85-member committee.

In recent years, Ms. Mukherji, who served as president of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), has become one of the most influential youth leaders in the left of West Bengal. The 40-year-old leader gained outstanding reputation when he competed against political heavyweights such as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Bharatiya Janata Party’s Suvendu Adhikari in the 2021 General Assembly elections.

Ms. Mukherjee was celebrated for her speaking skills and her ability to attract large crowds at public gatherings. Her simple tone and simple manner helped her connect with her common people.

In the 2024 RG KAR rape and murder case, Ms. Mukherjee, along with other left-wing youth leaders, intercepted a white van and brought the victim’s body to the crematorium on August 9, demanding that it be preserved for further investigation and further negotiations before a large number of police officers.

After the death of the SFI leader Anish Khan in 2020, he sparked protests across the state, Ms. Mukherjee and some others face police brutality. Dyfi leaders claimed she and others were denied bail and were tortured during police custody.

Party sources said: “Minakshi Mukherjee is the face of this fight against Trinamool and BJP in the revival of the left in West Bengal. She recognizes the left among the people of the country recognized by the Central Committee. Otherwise, it is a young Dyfi youth leader.

Other new names elected by West Bengal as the Central Committee are Kaninika Ghosh (State Secretary of the All-India Democratic Women’s Association), Syed Hussain (Purba Bardhaman Regional Secretary), Saman Pathak (Teacher-unionist representing the North Bengal Tea Garden) and Debabrata Ghosh (Hooghly Regional Secretary). Their inclusion is designed to ensure representation in all regions and communities across the state, thereby promoting inclusion.

With these increases, a total of 15 members from West Bengal in the Central Committee, including five newly elected this year.