A look at the shadow Chief Ministers of West Bengal, Assam, Kerala & Tamil Nadu

West Bengal
Abdul Mannan
For the first time in two decades, the Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal Assembly has been selected from Congress
Congress leadership has given a clear signal to take the alliance with CPI-M forward by choosing Abdul Mannan for the job

Mannan is one of the few votaries of the alliance in the state Congress. He wrote several letters to Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi explaining the necessity of the alliance. Mannan played an important role in bringing the CBI to investigate the Saradha chit fund scam by filing a petition to the Calcutta High Court.

Assam
Debabrata Saikia
After its humiliating defeat, the Congress leadership has tasked 51-year old Debabrata Saikia to lead the party in state Assembly

Debabrata, son of former Assam chief minister Hiteswar Saikia and two-time MLA from Nazira constituency, belong to Ahom community

Ahom dynasty ruled Assam for centuries. Former chief minister Tarun Gogoi too hails from Ahom community. Gogoi was keen to hold legislature party leader but senior Congress leader CP Joshi and Ambika Soni visited Guwahati and spoke with 26 Congress MLAs, before deciding in favour of Debabrata. He has held several key posts in the party.

Kerala
R Chennithala
Ramesh Chennithala’s rise in state Congress has changed a perception

There was a time when Congress party’s student leaders in Kerala believed they could rise in the party only with the blessings of AK Antony or Oommen Chandy

As a student leader, Chennithala chose to be in the K Karunakaran group. Soon he became the All India president of NSUI and an MLA from Kerala’s Harippad constituency. At the age of 29, he became the minister for rural development in the Karunakaran ministry. He later won Lok Sabha election from Kottayam. Chennithala boasts of a wide network of friends in the party in all states.

Tamil Nadu
MK Stalin
Son of DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi, Stalin is fondly called ‘Thalalpathy’ (Commander) since his arrest in 1975 during the Emergency

Stalin has held key positions like mayor of Chennai, president of DMK’s youth wing and the deputy CM during DMK’s tenure in 2006-11

Seen as the heir in waiting, Stalin may not have the aura associated with his father, but he is said to be responsible for the party getting 89 seats, against 23 in 2011. Stalin has shifted to modern shirts and trousers in place of veshti for his campaign in 2014 to revive the party, and presenting himself not only as the uncrowned prince of DMK, but also the natural choice after Karunanidhi.