Madurai | Former Kerala minister M A Baby was elected as the CPI(M) general secretary at the 24th party congress here on Sunday, sources said.

A section of the party leaders had backed All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) president Ashok Dhawale for the post.

Born to P M Alexander and Lilly Alexander in Kerala's Prakkulam in 1954, Baby's first exposure to politics came when he joined the Kerala Students Federation, the predecessor of the Students Federation of India, during his school days.

He was a member of the Rajya Sabha from 1986 to 1998.

Baby has been a member of the Politburo, the highest decision-making body of the CPI(M), since 2012.

The post of the party general secretary fell vacant following the death of Sitaram Yechury last year, after which Prakash Karat took over as the interim coordinator.

The 24th party congress of the CPI(M) began on April 2 and will end on Sunday.