Senior CPM Politburo leader Mohammed Salim has been re-elected as the party’s West Bengal state secretary. The CPM, aiming for internal corrections and discipline, formed a new state committee on the final day of its state conference, with a strict policy that any leader facing allegations would be removed.

As a result, leaders such as Sushanta Ghosh, Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, and Koltan Dasgupta have been dropped from the state committee. Additionally, Darjeeling district secretary Jibesh Sarkar has also been left out. Despite the party’s public emphasis on youth and student participation ahead of the 2026 elections, the 80-member state committee does not feature any significant young face. However, the number of women members has increased. Sushanta Ghosh, once a powerful CPM leader from West Midnapore, was temporarily suspended by the party after top leadership received complaints about his alleged involvement in a personal controversy. Though he was reinstated as the district secretary after his release from jail, he was later removed from that post as well.

Advertisement

Speculation had been rife over whether he would retain his state committee membership, but the final decision saw him being completely excluded, even from the district committee. Vijay Pal has now been appointed as the new district secretary of West Midnapore. Koltan Dasgupta, a youth leader from Kolkata, has also been axed from the state committee due to his involvement in a controversial viral audio clip during the R G Kar Medical College agitation.

Veteran leaders such as Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, Jibesh Sarkar, and Ashok Bhattacharya have been left out due to age considerations. With Ashok Bhattacharya and Jibesh Sarkar no longer part of the state committee, the CPM now lacks any prominent faces from North Bengal. Senior leader Amiya Patra from Bankura has also been dropped, though he has been accommodated as a special invitee to the state committee. The newly-formed 80-member committee includes 14 women, such as Debolina Hembram, Meenakshi Mukherjee, and Jahanara Khan. In a controversial move, despite being removed as North 24-Parganas district secretary through a vote, Mrinal Bhattacharya has been retained in the state committee. This has reportedly triggered dissatisfaction within the district unit of the CPM. With this major reshuffle, the party appears to be focusing on damage control and internal discipline as it gears up for the 2026 West Bengal elections.