Kolkata, May 21 (IANS): The CPI-M on Thursday announced a 16 member West Bengal state secretariat retaining almost all the old faces but including a woman leader.

The committee includes 15 old names, with Minati Ghosh - a top leader of the party's women's wing, being the only fresh inclusion. She replaces another woman Shaymali Gupta, who has passed away.

Former minister Ashok Bhattacharya and ex-MP Ramchandra Dom have been made permanent invitees to the secretariat, the party announced in a media statement on day one of its two-day state committee session.

The other secretariat members are: Biman Bose, Buddhadeb Bhatacharjee, Surjya Kanta Mishra, Mohammed Salim, Madan Ghosh, Shaymal Chakraborty, Mridul Dey, Gautam Deb, Dipak Dasgpta, Nripen Chowdhury, Sridip Bhattacharya, Dipak Sarkar, Rabin Deb, Amiya Patra and Sujon Chakraborty.

The previous secretariat formed in 2012 had 19 members.

Among them, Amitava Basu and Shyama Gupta have died, while Raghunath Kushari and Nirupam Sen opted out due to advancing age and ill-health.

Party general secretary Sitaram Yechury, and politburo member Prakash Karat were present on the occasion.