New Delhi: Sitaram Yechury, a prominent leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M), has passed away at the age of 72. He died today while receiving treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi. Yechury had been hospitalized for several days due to a respiratory illness and was on respiratory support, but his condition did not improve.
Yechury was admitted to AIIMS on August 19 after experiencing a high fever. As the general secretary of CPI(M) and a member of the party’s Politburo since 1992, he played a significant role in Indian politics. He also served as a Rajya Sabha member from West Bengal from 2005 to 2017. Yechury joined the Students Federation of India (SFI) in 1974 and later became a member of CPI(M) a year later.
Born on August 12, 1952, in Chennai, Yechury grew up in Hyderabad and later moved to Delhi. He attended President’s Estate School in Delhi, where he achieved top ranks in the Central Board of Secondary Education exams. He earned his B.A. (Hons.) in Economics from St. Stephen’s College and an M.A. in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Yechury began a PhD at JNU, which was interrupted by his arrest during the Emergency period.
