Keralam DYFI president Chintha Jerome is CPI(M)’s young face from Kollam

Chintha Jerome, one of the most prominent young faces of the Communist Party of India [CPI(M)] in Keralam, known for her strong background in student politics and vocal media presence, currently serves as a State committee member of the party.​Born in Kollam to C. Jerome and Esther Jerome, she completed her primary and secondary education at Vimala Hridaya Higher Secondary School. She went on to earn her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in English Literature from Fatima Mata National College, Kollam, followed by a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) from Karmela Rani Training College. She subsequently earned her PhD in English Literature from the University of Kerala and qualified for the UGC NET and Junior Research Fellowship (JRF).​She began her public life as a student activist with the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), gradually rising through the organizational ranks to serve as the SFI Kollam area president, district joint secretary, State vice-president, and central committee member. During the 2007–2008 academic year, she served as the Chairperson of the University of Kerala Union and was later elected to both the senate and the Syndicate of the university.​In her subsequent political career, she served two consecutive terms as the chairperson of the Kerala State Youth Commission from 2016 to 2023. At the CPI(M) State conference held in Ernakulam, she was elected as a member of the CPI(M) Keralam State committee. She has represented her party and State internationally, participating in official CPI(M) delegations to China in 2016 and Cuba in 2025, as well as representing Keralam as Youth Commission Chairperson at the United Nations Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction Conclave in Bonn, Germany, in 2019.Ms. Jerome has courted several controversies, including widespread mocking on social media for her comments on the Malayalam film song Jimikki Kammal nearly a decade ago, and most recently for the errors in her PhD thesis. She also faced plagiarism charges to which she said she had referred several texts and they were all cited in the thesis.Ms. Jerome has authored three books: Chumbanam - Samaram Idathupaksham (published by Sithara Books), Changkile China (published by Chintha Publications), and Athisayapathu (published by DC Books). Published - August 22, 2026 03:59 pm IST