THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: CPM’s stronghold, Kannur district, has once again cemented its position as the party’s largest unit in the country, boasting an impressive 65,550 members. The district unit operates through 18 area committees, 249 local committees, and 4,421 branches.

Of the total party members, 33 per cent are women—a representation unmatched by any other CPM unit. Two women have been elected as local committee secretaries, while 242 branches are led by women secretaries. Until 2019, the 24 North Parganas district in West Bengal had the highest party membership in the country.

In addition to its core members, CPM has 29.51 lakh members in its seven mass organisations in the district. From 2022 to 2025, membership in these organisations increased by approximately 1.50 lakh.

Of the 81 local bodies in Kannur, the CPM has an average of three local committees per local body, with some having as many as five.

Between 2022 and 2025, the number of new party members rose by 3,862, leading to the formation of 174 new branches and six new local committees.

The last three years have also seen a rise in social representation within the party. The number of Muslim members increased by 317, bringing the total to 3,654. The number of Christian members rose by 80, reaching 2,627.

The Scheduled Caste (SC) membership grew by 257, bringing the total to 3,533. However, only 21 new members from the Scheduled Tribe (ST) community joined the party, taking their total membership to 1,233.

“It was during 2021 that the greatest number of people from other political parties joined the CPM,” said CPM district secretary M.V. Jayarajan. “We have also been mobilising members who were not active earlier,” he added.