In Sumalatha Mohandas, Kerala’s Communist Parties Get First Woman District Secretary
In a historic moment for Kerala’s communist movement, Sumalatha Mohandas has been elected as the District Secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI) in Palakkad, becoming the first woman in the state to hold such a position in either of the two major Communist parties – CPI and CPI(M).
The decision was made at the CPI Palakkad District Conference, held recently in Vadakkanchery, where a 45-member district council was also elected.
Sumalatha hails from Manthakkad Thottapura in Malampuzha, and has been a familiar name in local political and grassroots organising. She currently serves as the District Secretary of Mahila Sangam, the CPI’s women’s wing, and also holds office as the Vice President of Malampuzha Panchayat.
Speaking after her election, she expressed both pride and responsibility in her new role.
“I am happy and deeply honoured. This is not just my achievement, but a recognition by the party of the role of women in leadership. I will strive to unite everyone and take the party forward together,” she said.
Sumalatha’s appointment comes as a first for both the CPI and the CPI(M) in Kerala – two parties that have long played dominant roles in the state’s political fabric. Although several women have previously held posts as area or constituency secretaries within both parties, no woman has ever before been entrusted with the responsibility of leading an entire district unit.
The CPI, the older of the two parties, has traditionally held sway in areas like Palakkad, Alappuzha, and parts of Thiruvananthapuram. While the CPI(M), formed after the 1964 split with CPI, has been the leading partner in Kerala’s Left Democratic Front (LDF) for decades, both parties have historically been male-dominated at higher organisational levels.
Kerala’s Left parties, despite championing progressive causes such as land reform, education, and gender equality in public policy, have often faced criticism for their limited representation of women in leadership roles.
To date, no woman has served as the General Secretary of either the Communist Party of India (CPI) or the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) at the national level or at the state level in Kerala.
While both parties have had prominent women leaders in their central committees and politburos (like Brinda Karat and Subhashini Ali in CPI(M)), and women have led their respective women’s wings (like Suseela Gopalan who was the first General Secretary of the All India Democratic Women’s Association, AIDWA, affiliated with CPI(M)), the top post of General Secretary has always been held by men.
While the CPI(M) has had prominent women leaders like KK Shailaja, who served as Minister for Health and gained international recognition for her COVID-19 response, even she did not rise to the position of district secretary. CPI(M) also had prominent leaders like KR Gowri, Susheela Gopalan and PK Sreemathi in their ranks.
