Thiruvananthapuram: The Communist Party of India (CPI) has decided to enforce the age criteria set out by its national council for party posts despite unease among a section of leaders at various levels.

A large numbers of youths will be appointed in all key party posts and committees if the party national council's recommendations are implemented in its full letter and spirit.

As per the new guidelines, 50 per cent ofAIYF those who get elected to each party forum should not have crossed the age of 40 years.

The party state leadership has given instructions to the lower-level committees to implement the decision, coinciding with the upcoming Party Conference.

The party's feeder organisations like the All-India Youth Federation (AIYF) and the All-India Students' Federation (AISF) will also strictly follow the age criteria.

The membership of the youth wing, AIYF, will be restricted to those who are below 40 years of age. In AISF, the students' wing, only those studying in campuses will be elected as office-bearers.

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As per the new rule, women will have 15 per cent quota in both the state council and the district councils of the party.

For years the CPI had at its helm much-seasoned leaders of ripe old age. That image is set to undergo a change.

On the CPM path

Though CPM had first come with the idea of implementing the "GenerationNext" policy in the party by fixing an age bar of 75 years for entry into party committees, the CPI has decided to pursue the idea more vigrously at all levels of the party.

The CPI state leadership clarified that the party would not withdraw the age criteria limit just because a section in thé party had opposed the move in the party state council. It pointed out that the state council meeting had ratified the recommendations of the national council in this regard.

The Council members had earlier said that such restrictions were anti-Communist in approach.

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New Age Limits

National Council: 75

State Council: 75

State Assistant Secretaries: One person below 65, another person below 50

District, mandalam secretaries: 65

District Assistant Secretaries: One below 60, another below 40

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Committee members: Up to the age of 75 years, a person can continue as a member of a party committee. But when new committees come into existence from constituency to State-level, half of the members in each unit should be below 40 years of age.

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