Newly appointed permanent invitees of Congress Working Committee (CWC) from Tamil Nadu, Manickam Tagore and Dr Chellakumar and member of Congress Central Election Authority S Jothimani are seen as the influential newcomers who could replace the likes of KV Thangkabalu and EVKS Elangovan staying low owing to age factor.

Popularly called members of the ‘R’ team or Team Rahul, the elevated MPs with easy access to the Congress top brass could be the go-to persons of the ‘khaddar’ veshtis in the state

A Congress senior who did not wish to be named said the MPs were nobody in the state party unit till a few years ago, but now their presence in the CWC has ‘empowered’ them.

“Unlike Chidambaram, they are unlikely to air their views in the CWC without inhibition. They might not voice their views, unless asked to. But the very presence in the working committee would make them leaders on demand for anyone in TNCC trying to get something done with the AICC.

“Lower level functionaries who were cajoling a few factional lords would now reach out to them,” said a PCC functionary unwilling to be named.

Even a district Congress president, who described their elevation to CWC level as a byproduct of the permanent invitees being appointed in charge of a state each, said they might not be able to dominate like Chidambaram does, but their access to the Congress leadership would make them the eyes and ears of AICC in Tamil Nadu.

“That Rahul Gandhi has overlooked seniors from Tamil Nadu Congress, was the message to be comprehended from the duo’s appointment as permanent invitees.

“Whether some TNCC seniors like it or not, the newcomers would have a say whenever an issue involving Tamil Nadu Congress comes up before AICC,” said a Congress district chief requesting anonymity.