India, Feb. 26 -- Former Lok Sabha member Mohammed Salim was re-elected as the state secretary of the West Bengal unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M), for a second term on Tuesday. The party, which formed a new 80-member state committee, also brought in fresh faces to replace about a dozen veteran leaders as part of a revival strategy ahead of next year's Assembly elections.

The new state committee was formed at the Bengal unit's 27th conference held in Hooghly district. Central committee coordinator Prakash Karat emphasised the need to induct young members and address the growing distance between the party and its rural support base during the four-day state conference, which concluded with a public rally addressed...