Sheila Dikshit was the second female Chief Minister of Delhi after Sushma Swaraj.
Former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit. | File image
New Delhi: Former Delhi chief minister and senior Congress leader Sheila Dikshit passed away in the national capital on Saturday, according to media reports. She was 81.
Sheila Dikshit, a well-known figure in Indian politics, was a powerful administrator and leader who was elected Chief Minister of Delhi thrice since 1998. She held the record of leading her party to three consecutive victories in New Delhi constituency in the Legislative Assembly of Delhi.
Sheila Dikshit was the second female Chief Minister of Delhi after Sushma Swaraj.
Dikshit’s entry into Indian politics was coincidental. Her father-in-law was a renowned activist during India’s independence struggle and later went on to become a union cabinet minister in the Indira Gandhi government.
Dikshit used to help her father-in-law a lot while he was serving in this position. Acknowledging her administrative skills Indira Gandhi nominated Dikshit as an Indian delegate of the United Nations Commission on the issue of status of women. This marked her entry in Indian politics, which led her eventually to become the chief minister of Delhi.
