THE 23rd Assam state conference of the CPI(M) was held from February 15-17, at Silchar in Cachar district. It may be noted that after 35 years, a state conference was held in Barak Valley in an enthusiastic atmosphere. 313 delegates and observers from 27 districts participated in the conference. Among the delegates Rishad Bhuyan was the youngest (21 years) and Hemen Das was the oldest (91 years) and 52 were women.
The three-day conference was attended by CPI(M) Polit Bureau members Manik Sarkar, Brinda Karat and Nilotpal Basu. The Party flag was hoisted by veteran leader Hemen Das on February 15 amid enthusiastic sloganeering. Brinda Karat, Nilotpal Basu and other leaders of the state paid floral tributes to the martyrs column followed by the delegates, observers and members of the reception committee. The conference venue was named after Comrade Noorul Huda and the manch after Comrade Dipak Bhattacharyya.
The conference elected a 50-memer new state committee. The new state committee elected a 14-member secretariat. Suprakash Talukdar is elected as the new state secretary. There are five women in the newly elected state committee and one in the secretariat.