CPI(M) flag

The Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M), is a political party in India. It is strongest in West Bengal and Tripura, where it is holding government (2004). It split from the Communist Party of India in 1964 because of what it describes as the latter's revisionism and sectarianism. It claims to have 814,408 members as of 2002.

Propaganda vehicle

Students Federation of India

Mural in Kolkata

CPI(M) election propaganda

CPI(M) poster

Martyrs Column in Haripada, Kerala

CPI(M) mural in Kolkata

CPI(M) took 5,5% of vote in last legislative election (May 2004) and it has 43 MPs. They support new Indian National Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government, but without taking part in it.

In West Bengal and Tripura it participates in Left Front. In Kerala the party is part of Left Democratic Front. In Tamil Nadu it is part of the Progressive Democratic Alliance.
In Hindi CPI(M) is often called मार्क्सवादी कमयुनिस्त पार्टी (Marksvadi Kamyunist Party, abbreviated MaKaPa). In Tamil the party is known as இந்திய கம்யூனிஸ்ட் கட்சி (மார்க்சிஸ்ட்) (Intia Kamyunist Katchi (Marxist)).

The current general secretary of CPI(M) is Harkishan Surjit Singh. The CPI(M) MP Somnath Chatterjee is the speaker of the Lok Sabha (2004). The 17th party congress of CPI(M), held in Hyderabad March 2002 elected a Central Committee with 79 members. The CC later elected a 17-member Politburo:

• Harkishan Singh Surjeet
• Jyoti Basu
• E. Balanandan
• E.K. Nayanar (deceased May 19 2004)
• V.S. Achuthanandan
• Prakash Karat
• Sitaram Yechury
• S. Ramachandran Pillai
• P. Ramachandran
• R. Umanath
• Anil Biswas
• Biman Bose
• Manik Sarkar
• Pinarai Vijayan
• M.K. Pandhe
• Buddhadeb Bhattacharya
• Kortala Satyanarayana

The principal mass organizations of CPI(M) are:

• Democratic Youth Federation of India
• Students Federation of India
• Centre of Indian Trade Unions
• All India Kisan Sabha (peasants' organization)
• All India Agricultural Workers Union
• All India Democratic Women's Association
• Bank Employees Federation of India
• All India Lawyers Union

In Tripura, the Ganamukti Parishad is a major mass organization.

From the Centre, two weekly newspapers are published, People's Democracy (English) and Lok Lehar (Hindi). On state level there are a variety of vernacular publications, including five daily newspaper;

• Ganashakti (West Bengal, Bengali)
• Deshabhimani (Kerala), Malayalam)
• Daily Desher Katha (Tripura, Bengali)
• Theekathir (Tamil Nadu, Tamil)
• Prajashakti (Andhra Pradesh, Telugu)

A large number of parties have been formed from splits of the CPI(M), such as Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), Marxist Communist Party of India, Marxist Coordination Committee in Jharkhand, Janathipathiya Samrakshana Samithy and Communist Marxist Party in Kerala, Party of Democratic Socialism in West Bengal, Janganotantrik Morcha in Tripura, the Ram Pasla group in Punjab, Orissa Communist Party in Orissa, etc.

Election Results

see CPI(M) election results.

External links

• CPI(M) web site (http://www.cpim.org/)
• CPI(M) Andhra Pradesh State Committee (http://www.cpimap.com/)
• People's Democracy (http://pd.cpim.org)
• Ganashakti (http://www.ganashakti.com/)
• Deshabhimani (http://www.deshabhimani.com/)
• Prajashakti (http://www.prajasakti.com/)
• All India Democratic Women's Association (http://www.aidwa.org/)
• Centre for Indian Trade Unions (http://www.citu.org.in/)
• Democratic Youth Federation of India (http://www.dyfi.org/)
• Students Federation of India, Kerala (http://www.sfikerala.itgo.com/)
• Students Federation of India, Jawaharlal Nehru University (http://inquilab.tripod.com/)
• Assorted CPI(M)-related images (http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v297/inquilab/India/CPM/)

See also: List of political parties in India, Politics of India, List of Communist Parties