CPM appoints Prakash Karat as party coordinator following Yechury's demise

New Delhi: In the wake of CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury's passing, former general secretary Prakash Karat has been appointed as the party coordinator. He will oversee the central committee and the politburo until the upcoming party congress. This decision was made during a central committee meeting held in Delhi.

Under the coordinator's leadership, the CPM politburo has agreed to assign joint responsibilities to its members, focusing on central operations. Karat was CPM general secretary from 2005 to 2015. He was elected to the central committee in 1985 and became a politburo member in 1992.

A new general secretary will be elected at the party congress scheduled for April in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. Until then, the day-to-day affairs and organisational preparations for the congress will be managed by a temporary body involving politburo members. Prakash Karat has been given oversight responsibilities for this. 

Preliminary discussions regarding the draft political resolution and organisational documents to be presented at the party congress are expected to take place during the central committee meetings on Sunday and Monday. (with PTI inputs)