CPI-M city wing pushes for Dipsita to lead youth wing
The Statesman | 18 June 2025
A major shake-up is underway within the youth wing of Bengal’s communist party, with growing indications that Minakshi Mukherjee, the fiery leader who brought the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) into sharp public focus through street mobilisation and mass movements in West Bengal, may soon be stepping down from her post as the state secretary.
Mukherjee, currently a member of the state secretariat and the central committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI-M, is widely expected to be elevated to a more prominent role within the parent party. Party insiders say discussions are already underway to position her in a key leadership slot.
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As the Left revamps its youth leadership, demands are mounting for SFI national leader and Delhi-based CPI-M member, Dipsita Dhar, to take over the reins of DYFI in West Bengal. Dhar, a well-known face in national student politics, is being backed by several factions within the Bengal unit, who are lobbying for her to be given state party membership — a prerequisite to hold the youth secretary post in West Bengal.
This leadership transition comes ahead of DYFI’s West Bengal state conference, set to be held in Berhampore, Murshidabad from 21 to 23 June. The conference is expected to formally announce the new leadership, but discussions within the party indicate intense internal jockeying over key roles, especially between the Kolkata and Burdwan lobbies of the CPI-M. Among the leading contenders are Dhrubajyoti Saha, current DYFI state president, who is being pushed for the secretary’s position, and Ayanangshu Sarkar from Burdwan, a rising youth face proposed for the post of president. Meanwhile, sections of the Kolkata district leadership are advocating for Kaltan Dasgupta to be elevated to either of the top youth posts.
The party’s North 24-Parganas unit has already retained Saptarshi Deb, son of veteran CPI-M leader and former minister Gautam Deb, as district youth secretary — a move signalling continuity amid the brewing transition. While Dipsita Dhar’s inclusion would bring a national profile to the DYFI’s state leadership, her transfer from Delhi to the Bengal unit could pose procedural hurdles. However, influential voices within the party argue that the change is both feasible and necessary, especially in light of Minakshi’s imminent shift to higher responsibilities. The leadership churn underscores a broader push within India’s Left to rejuvenate its youth base ahead of the 2026 Bengal Assembly elections and comes at a time when the CPI-M is striving to reclaim lost political ground in a state it once ruled for over three decades.
With final decisions likely to be announced during the Murshidabad conference, all eyes within Bengal’s political circles are now on who will inherit the DYFI mantle and steer the next phase of the Left’s youth mobilisation.