M. A. Baby

Mariam Alexander Baby is an Indian Marxist and education reformist politician who is currently serving as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). He has served as a member of both the Rajya Sabha and the Kerala Legislative Assembly, and held the position of Minister for Education and Cultural Affairs in the Government of Kerala from 2006 to 2011. He was elected to the Politburo of CPI(M) in the 20th Congress held at Kozhikode, Kerala, in 2012.[1] [2] Baby is known for his contributions to the public education system in Kerala and is currently a member of the CPI(M) Politburo, the party's highest decision-making body.[3]

Personal life

M. A. Baby was born to Latin rite Christian parents P. M. Alexander and Lilly Alexander on 5 April 1954 at Prakkulam in Kollam district of Kerala. Baby did his schooling from Prakkulam Lower Primary School and Prakkulam NSS High School & also served as an altar-boy at the local St. Elizabeth's Church in Prakkulam in the diocese of Kollam.[4] It was during his high school days where he was first acquainted with politics. After completing basic schooling, Baby went to Sree Narayan College, Kollam for pre-degree (plus two). Later, Baby joined for BA in Political Science in SN College itself. However, he was unable to finish his bachelor's degree.[2]

He is married to Betty Louis and has a son named Ashok Betty Nelson.[2]

Political life

M.A. Baby joined Kerala Students Federation, the predecessor of Students Federation of India, while he was studying at NSS high school, Prakkulam in Kollam district. He has held many responsible positions in the Students Federation of India, the Democratic Youth Federation of India, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist). Currently he is a Politburo member of CPI(M).[2]

He served as a Member of Parliament from Rajya Sabha from 1986 to 1998.[5]

He was the Minister of Education in Kerala from 2006 until 2011.

He unsuccessfully contested from Kollam against N. K. Premachandran of Revolutionary Socialist Party during the 2014 Indian general elections. He was elected as the General Secretary of the CPI(M) from the 24th Party Congress at Madurai on 6th April 2025.[6][7]

Electoral Performance

Election Year Party Constituency Result Margin Vote Share(%)
Kerala Legislative Assembly 2006 CPI(M) Kundara Won 14,869 55.00%
2011 CPI(M) Won 14,703 52.48%
Lok Sabha 2014 CPI(M) Kollam Lost 37,649 42.2%

References

  1. ^ "20th CPIM Party Congress News Photo (L-R) Communist Par..." Times Of India. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d "KERALA NIYAMASABHA - M.A.BABY". State of Kerala. Archived from the original on 18 December 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  3. ^ "M. A. Baby | Congenial comrade". The Hindu. 12 April 2025. Archived from the original on 13 April 2025. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  4. ^ Sreejith, K. S. (6 April 2025). "M A Baby: From Altar boy to 'Pope' of Communist party". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  5. ^ "Members - Kerala Legislature". www.niyamasabha.org. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  6. ^ "MA Baby elected as General Secretary of CPI(M) at Madurai Party Congress". Deccan Herald. 6 April 2025. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
  7. ^ Anandan, S. (6 April 2025). "M.A. Baby elected general secretary of CPI(M)". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 7 April 2025.