Popular Congress leader and former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit passed away this afternoon. She was 81. Shiela Dikshit had been ill for a long time and was admitted at around 10.30 am today. She died at 3.30 pm at a city hospital.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed his condolences on the death of Shiela Dikshit. In a tweet he said he is deeply saddened by the news. “Deeply saddened by the demise of Sheila Dikshit Ji. Blessed with a warm and affable personality, she made a noteworthy contribution to Delhi’s development. Condolences to her family and supporters. Om Shanti,” PM Modi said in a tweet.
Dikshit was the senior-most Congress leader in its Delhi unit. She served as Delhi’s chief minister for 15 years from 1998 to 2013. Dikshit led Congress party to three consecutive electoral victories in Delhi. In the December 2013 elections to the Delhi Legislative Assembly, Dikshit was defeated in New Delhi constituency by Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal, who replaced her as Delhi’s chief minister. Subsequently, she was sworn in as Governor of Kerala on 11 March 2014. However, she resigned on 25 August 2014. She had been declared as Chief Ministerial candidate for the Indian National Congress in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly election; however she later withdrew. She was appointed as president of Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee on January 10, 2019
Dikshit was also very close to UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi. In a tweet, the Congress said it regrets the death of Sheila Dikshit. The party said as chief minister, she transformed the face of Delhi in her 15-year tenure.”We regret to hear of the passing of Smt Sheila Dikshit. Lifelong congresswoman and as three time CM of Delhi she transformed the face of Delhi. Our condolences to her family and friends. Hope they find strength in this time of grief,” the Congress said.