CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury speaking to NDTV.
Sitaram Yechury, the newly appointed general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), expressed confidence that the party would make a turnaround in West Bengal before the next assembly elections.
Talking to NDTV about the challenges of making a political comeback in the state, Mr Yechury said, "We will definitely make a turnaround".
Asked why he had not shown confidence on winning the next assembly elections, Mr Yechury responded by saying, "I will say win when we have actually won the elections". Sitaram Yechury, seen as a moderate face in the party, seemed a natural successor to Prakash Karat, his comrade for many years.
But at the Visakhapatnam party congress, Mr Yechury's senior colleague S Ramachandran Pillai seemed a serious contender. The suspense ended when Mr Karat finally made this announcement: "Under the chairmanship of S Ramachandran Pillai, I proposed comrade Sitaram Yechury as the next general secretary. He is elected unanimously."
On being asked about the uncertainty before he was elected for the top job, Mr Yechury said, "I can only say that the media is more vibrant these days. These names were there in the media. In our party, there's inner party democracy, people may have different opinions but once the party takes a decision, it's a collective decision."
S Ramachandran Pillai, his senior colleague, was backed by his comrades from Kerala, a state where the party hopes to come back to power next year. But the overwhelming mood of the other delegates tilted the scales towards Mr Yechury.
At its lowest point now, CPI (M) decided in favor of Mr Yechury, who is being seen as someone who can reach out beyond their traditional support base.
But there were other changes to be made to the representations of the Politburo. Subhashini Ali is the second woman to be inducted into the Politburo. Mohammed Salim from Bengal found a place and his senior comrade, Hanan Mollah, too made the cut.
Former Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was relieved from the Politburo and party veteran V S Achuthanandan was made a special invitee.
For the Left, there has been a steady decline in recent years. The 21st party congress should serve as a turning point where the party can reinvent itself if it wants to stay relevant in national politics.