Cong looks up to ex-CM to revive party in Capital
Former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit’s resignation as the Kerala Governor is being seen in Delhi’s political circles as the beginning of her fresh innings in politics. While Delhi Congress president Arvinder Singh lovely, party’s legislative head in Delhi Assembly Haroon Yusuf and party’s chief spokesperson Mukesh Sharma had been working in tandem to revive the party at the grass-root level, former New Delhi MP Ajay Maken had been reportedly positioning himself as the party’s new face for the Delhi polls. Dikshit’s re-entry may queer the pitch for the relatively young Congress faces as she possesses a proven track record of having won three elections in a row for the Congress in the national Capital.
Dikshit, who served as Chief Minister of Delhi from 1998 to 2013, was appointed Kerala Governor in March just before the Model Code of Conduct came into force for the lok Sabha elections. With Dikshit all set to return to Delhi, there are indications that she is again going to emerge as a major force in local politics.
This was clearly evident on Monday when a large number of senior local leaders held closed-door meetings with her at Kerala Bhawan. Among those who met her were former Ministers Ramakant Goswami, Kiran Walia and Mangat Ram Singhal and former Speaker Yoganand Shastri. Even NCP leader DP Tripathi too called on her.
Insiders say that with the Assembly election in Delhi becoming a certainty now, it seems the Congress is yet indecisive about who will be the face of the party for these elections. The party has started looking for the same and what has been implied by the party members is that the UPA cannot revive itself in the State without the help of the old guard. A Congress leader said on the condition of anonymity that the party is at present going through a rough patch as there is a lot of infighting going on in the party against its Central leadership. There is a divide within the party after its worst-ever defeat in the lok Sabha polls despite heavy campaigns by its poster boy and vice-president Rahul Gandhi. This has certainly left the party with no other option but to look up to the old guard to save the party. Thus, the Congress is trying to pull out its tried and tested card to revive itself in the Capital. With no
other viable option, Sheila Dikshit is the only hope which might bring the lost glory back for the party.
Sheila Dikshit was the face of the party in the December 2013 Assembly polls but failed to bring the party back to power for the fourth time.
It is noted that two Congress MlAs — Mateen Ahmed from Seelampur and Asif Muhammad Khan from Okhla — had earlier met Congress president Sonia Gandhi in July and suggested that Sheila Dikshit should return to lead Congress in Delhi in the upcoming elections.
Political observers say that Dikshit’s entry into the Delhi politics was bound to open a window for those leaders who feel they had been sidelined by the Pradesh leadership. Some Muslim MlAs had recently requested Congress general secretary Shakeel Ahmed to call back Dikshit so that she could take charge of the party’s Delhi unit. But Ahmed had categorically told them that it was not possible as she was discharging the duties of a constitutional post in Kerala.
Dikshit’s resignation has been sent by the President’s Secretariat to the Union Home Ministry for necessary action. However, she would be visiting Kerala on Wednesday and is expected continue as the Governor of the State till September 4.
“We will again request the party leadership to make Dikshit in-charge of Delhi as she is the only face that is acceptable to the masses. With her rich experience in politics, she is bound to change the fortunes of the party in the national Capital,” a Congress MlA said.
Asked about what role Dikshit was going to play in Delhi, Delhi Congress spokesperson Mukesh Sharma said, “She is a very senior and respected person of our party. It is for her and the party leadership to decide what role she should play in Delhi.”