Thiruvananthapuram: The Communist Party of India (CPI) claims thousands of members of the Communist Party of (India) Marxist —  CPM — are joining it of late.

It is estimated that more than 10,000 comrades have left the CPM to join the CPI in the last four years alone. The total membership of the CPI has risen from 1.33 lakh to 1.77 lakh in this period. A lion’s share of the new memberships is from the CPM.

As per the statistics from the Thiruvananthapuram district, where the CPI district conference was held, 1,210 CPM members left their party and joined CPI within a year. The new CPI joinees are mostly from the CPM.

Thiruvananthapuram district, which had marked the highest membership increase, saw as many as 2,500 CPM members joining it over the past 4 years, states the party document.

The exact numbers from all over the State are yet to be consolidated. As the district conferences have begun, the CPI is currently collecting data on this from all districts. A rise of about 10,000 members per year is being witnessed for the first time.

The CPI leaders opined during party conferences that those fed up with the CPM’s change in policy stands and organisational problems flock to the CPI.

Members from the CPM used to join the CPI at a regional level in the districts of Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, and Alappuzha where the CPI had a strong influence earlier. Now, this trend is catching up in all the districts, CPI leaders say.

Usually, full membership is bestowed upon those who reach the CPI from other parties only after they work in the CPI’s feeder organisations and later under mandatory candidate membership for a set period with the party. However, those holding the CPM membership can directly become a CPI full member right on joining.