Veteran Congress leader Sheila Dikshit may soon return from political wilderness as the chief ministerial face of the grand old party in the forthcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.
The 78-year-old former Delhi Chief Minister called on Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday evening amid speculation that the Congress will contest the crucial polls under the “Brahmin” leader in a State where there are too many claimants for Other Backward Class (OBC) and Dalit votes.
During the day, there were also reports that Sheila Dikshit may be brought in place of Kamal Nath as general secretary in-charge of poll-bound Punjab. However, by evening it became clear that Dikshit may get a far bigger role. Earlier, Kamal Nath stepped down from his newly-given responsibility of Punjab following allegations that he was involved in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, a charge he vehemently denied.
Sources said that as part of a script prepared by poll strategist Prashant Kishor, the Congress leadership has decided to count on the experience and caste consideration of Dikshit for UP. Incidentally, she is the daughter-in-law of prominent Congress leader from UP, Uma Shankar Dikshit, who served as Union Minister and Governor for a long time.
The Congress is trying to regain lost ground in UP where currently it has just 30 MlAs in the 403-member Assembly. The Congress could win only two seats in Amethi and Raebareli in the 2014 lok Sabha polls represented by Rahul and Sonia Gandhi respectively.
The Brahmin community plays a significant role in the election outcome in central and eastern UP as it is the dominant caste in these areas.
Sources said that Kishor has tried to convince the Congress leadership that if someone like Dikshit was roped in as the chief ministerial face and Priyanka Gandhi was made the head of the party’s election campaign, both Brahmins and women will be attracted to the party in a big way.
In that case, a sizeable section of Muslims could also desert Mulayam Singh Yadav, given that fact that the Samajwadi Party chief acted as a spoiler in Bihar by fighting against the “secular” Mahagathbandhan, Kishor feels. In alliance with Nitish Kumar, whose caste men Kurmis constitute nine per cent of the population in UP, Kishor hopes to prepare a “winning” combination” in the State.
The Congress is trying to put its best foot forward in UP, which it hopes will set the stage for its revival ahead of the 2019 lok Sabha polls. The State unit is likely to be revamped soon and several “dead woods” may be axed.
Kishor has reportedly suggested that while the SP and the Bahujan Samaj Party battle it out for OBC and Dalit votes and the BJP chooses between development and Hindutava, the Congress should focus on reviving its traditional vote bank. Wooing Brahmins back is part of that strategy.
Interestingly, on Thursday itself Delhi’s lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung forwarded for investigation, a corruption complaint by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal against Sheila in a 400-crore water tanker deal.