New Delhi, Wednesday 17 December 2008: Putting aside anti-incumbency, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit scripted history by retaining her post for the third consecutive time emerging as one of the most powerful politicians in the country today.

An unparalleled feat for a Congress leader in recent times, Dikshit, who faced many a rebellion and dissidence within her party, has managed to maintain her public image in the hurly-burly of capital’s politics.

This Assembly election raised her profile which was evident as the meeting of the Legislature Party took just 90 minutes to elect her as its leader while it took almost a week for the party to chose her as the Chief Minister in 2003 due to intense infighting in the party.

Congress’ hat-trick electoral victory in the capital bears testimony to the able leadership of Dikshit who beat challenges posed by her detractors and anti-incumbency factor besides keeping BJP at bay.
Though Congress had not declared its Chief Ministerial candidate, the party had, during campaigning, given clear indication that if voted to power, the 71-year-old Dikshit will have a “third innings”.

In the grand old party, no one else has the record of a hat-trick term in the top office of a state other than Mohan Lal Sukhadia, who was the Chief Minister of Rajasthan for 17 long years, and Krishna Sinha in Bihar for 14 years.

Born in a non-political family in Kapurthala district on March 31, 1938, Dikshit, eldest of three daughters, was exposed to politics after she married Vinod Dikshit, an IAS officer and son of former union minister Uma Shankar Dikshit.

Dikshit received her primary education at Delhi’s Convent of Jesus and Mary school and graduated from Miranda House, Delhi University and obtained a post-graduation degree in History.

With acumen in administrative and legislative issues, Dikshit got involved herself in politics in a big way after the 1969 split in Congress. Faced with one of the biggest challenges of her life, Indira Gandhi trusted only a handful of her supporters, including Uma Shankar Dikshit.

As her father-in-law’s workload increased manifold in the wake of this development, Sheila stepped in to assist him. While managing Uma Shankar Dikshit’s affairs, Sheila’s potential was noticed by Indira Gandhi. Impressed by her work, Gandhi nominated Sheila as a member of the Indian delegation to the UN Commission on status of women.
(Agency)