Prakash Karat on Monday took over the mantle from veteran freedom fighter Harkishan Singh Surjeet as the Communist Party of India Marxist)'s General Secretary
Described as a 'hardliner', he is a organiser with strong ideological moorings and considered one of the prominent leaders of the party's think-tank.
A former student leader, he was rusticated by the University of Edinburgh for leading an anti-Apartheid protest action. The rustication was, however, kept in abeyance on grounds of his otherwise 'good behaviour'. He completed his M.Sc degree from the university in 1970.
Karat enjoys an overwhelming support in the party, as was reflected in his unanimous election at the conclusion of the 18th Party Congress.
Media-shy, 56-year old Karat has been looking after the party organisation and policy matters for the past couple of years under the leadership of Surjeet due to the latter's failing health.
Karat got the stamp of a 'hardliner' after he and some other members in the Polit Bureau and the Central Committee opposed the party's desire to use the only opportunity it had to have a prime minister.
Jyoti Basu, whose chance of becoming PM in 1996 was thus foiled, later described the decision as 'a historic blunder'.
Karat was also behind the party's decision to not join the United Progressive Alliance coalition government at the Centre.
Karat joined the CPI(M) in 1970 and was groomed by the legendary E M S Nabmoodiripad. He also worked as aide to another veteran A K Gopalan.
Karat worked underground for one-and-half years during the 1975-76 Emergency and was arrested twice for his political activities.
He graduated from the Madras Christian College. At the Jawaharlal Nehru University, which he joined for advanced studies, he was elected president of the Students' Union in 1972 and 1973 and, thereafter, he headed the CPI (M) mass organization, the Students' Federation of India, from 1974 to 1979.
Karat was elected secretary of the party's Delhi state committee and to the central committee in 1985.
Seven years later he was elected to the Polit Bureau, in which he continues even now.
Besides party activities, Karat is also the managing director of a leading leftwing publishing house, LeftWord Books and is a member of the editorial board of the CPI (M)'s theoretical journal 'The Marxist'.
He also has authored a book entitled 'Language, Nationality and Politics in India' in 1972 and edited several others.
He is married to leading women's activist and CPI (M) Central Committee member Brinda Karat.
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