BREAKING: Veteran CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury dies at 72 after prolonged illness

Sitaram Yechury, who joined the CPI(M) in the early 1970s, played a crucial role in the party's leadership. Over the years, he became one of the most recognized faces of the party, serving in various capacities, including as its General Secretary.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, who was admitted at AIIMS Delhi, passed away on Thursday after prolonged illness, news agency PTI reported citing party and hospital sources. Yechury, a key figure in Indian left-wing politics, had a significant influence on shaping the CPI(M)'s direction over several decades.

On August 19, the CPM leader was brought into AIIMS's emergency ward and then moved to the intensive care unit (ICU). He had an infection that resembled pneumonia, but the physicians had not divulged the precise nature of the illness. Recently, Yechury had cataract surgery.

Born on August 12, 1952 in Chennai, Yechury studied in Delhi University during graduation and completed post-graduation from Jawaharlal Nehru University. He is survived by his wife Seema Chishti Yechury and two children.

Sitaram Yechury joined the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in 1975, a year after becoming a member of the Students' Federation of India (SFI). While still a student at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), he was detained during the Emergency. From 1977 to 1988, he presided over the JNU Students' Union three times.

He quickly rose through the ranks, becoming the President of the JNU Students' Union three times and later the All-India President of SFI. In 1984, he was elected to the Central Committee of the CPI(M) and became a permanent invitee. By 1992, he was a member of the Politburo, a position he held for over three decades.

Yechury served as a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, from West Bengal from 2005 to 2017. He succeeded Prakash Karat as the General Secretary of CPI(M) in 2015 and was re-elected to the position twice, in 2018 and 2022.