Hyderabad: Sitaram Yechury, who has been elected the new general secretary of the Communist Party of India-Marxist, has been the most prominent face of the party for decades.

Suave and soft-spoken, he has been associated with the Communist movement since his student days and now at the age of 62 faces the onerous task of rebuilding the party.

Popularly known as SRY among his supporters, Yechury is a dynamic leader and is considered the young face of the leading communist party. He is also known for his skills in reaching out to people both within and outside the party.

Currently a member of the Rajya Sabha, Yechury has been a member of the CPI-M's Central Committee since 1984 and the politburo since 1992.

A politician, economist, writer and columnist, Yechury is known for his good communication skills and is seen by many in the party as someone who could strengthen the party, facing a crisis with a series of electoral reverses.

Born on August 12, 1952 in a Telugu family in then Madras, Yechury did his schooling mostly in Andhra Pradesh. He stood first in the CBSE higher secondary examination. He graduated from St Stephen's College, Delhi in Economics (Hons) and did M.A. in economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi. He discontinued his Ph.D due to his arrest during the Emergency.

Yechury, whose father S.S. Yechury was an employee in the Road Transport Corporation, was influenced by the communist movement during his student days. He joined the Student Federation of India (SFI) in 1974.

The young leader was arrested for opposing internal emergency in 1975. He was later elected the president of JNU's students union.