Shadow cabinet
Topic: Parliament: Composition, Powers and Law-making · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
A shadow cabinet is a team set up by the opposition in Britain. Each member "shadows" one minister. That means they follow that minister's work closely, criticise it and offer other policies. The team acts as a government-in-waiting, ready to take over if the opposition wins the next election. It is a convention (a settled practice), not a rule written in a constitution.
Example
In Britain, the opposition names its own spokesperson for each department, such as finance or foreign affairs, to face the matching minister. India's opposition has no formal equivalent. The Leader of the Opposition is recognised by the presiding officer and has had legal status since the Salary and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Act 1977, but there is no official team of "shadow ministers" behind them.
Don't confuse with
- Leader of the Opposition (LoP): a single office with legal status and cabinet rank in India. A shadow cabinet is a whole team of opposition members, each matched to a minister.
- Cabinet: the real government that holds power. A shadow cabinet holds no power. It only watches and criticises.