Mariam Dhawale Elected to CPI(M) Polit Bureau at 24th Party Congress in Madurai

Madurai : Mariam Dhawale has been elected to the Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) for the first time on April 6, 2025, during the 24th Party Congress held in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. A dedicated leader, she has been a member of the Central Committee since 2018.

Student Movement 

 She was born on 4 April 1961 in Mumbai and did her MA (History) from Mumbai University. She joined the Students Federation of India (SFI) in 1979 at the age of 18. She was elected to the Student Council of Wilson College in 1981-82. She was elected Mumbai District Secretary of the SFI from 1983 to 1988, and Maharashtra State General Secretary of the SFI from 1988 to 1994. She was the first girl State General Secretary of the SFI in India. She was elected All India Vice President of the SFI from 1989 to 1997. In these capacities, she led several student struggles and rallies in Mumbai and Maharashtra during this period. 

Women’s Movement 

She joined the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) in 1994, inspired by the legendary women’s movement leader and ex-MP Ahilya Rangnekar, and under the guidance of the then AIDWA General Secretary and ex-MP Brinda Karat. 

 She was elected Thane-Palghar District Secretary of AIDWA from 1994 to 2004, inspired by legendary AIKS leader Godavari Parulekar. She worked here mainly among Adivasi tribal women. 

 She was the Maharashtra Stat Joint Secretary of AIDWA from 1994 to 1997, State Working President from 1997 to 2004, State General Secretary from 2004 to 2010, and State President from 2013 to 2017.

 In 2016, she was elected All India General Secretary of AIDWA, a position which she still holds. She worked successively with veteran leader and ex-MP Malini Bhattacharya and ex- Kerala Health Minister and ex-MP P K Sreemathi as All India Presidents of AIDWA. She led several struggles of women on a large number of issues during the last three decades.

She regularly writes for various national periodicals on women's issues and socio-political matters. She is also the editor of AIDWA's central publication, Equality.