Out of power in Uttar Pradesh for 27 years, the Congress today fielded 78-year-old Sheila Dikshit as the party’s chief ministerial face in the poll-bound state. The party also announced a team of heavyweights to display its battle readiness for 2017.
The development coincided with the move of the Anti-Corruption Bureau summoning Sheila, former Delhi CM, in the tanker scam, indicating Congress’ decision to become non-defensive about graft allegations rivals raise against its leaders.
Party general secretary for UP Ghulam Nabi Azad defended Sheila’s appointment praising her good work as the Delhi CM for 15 years and said the Congress would reverse its decision if BJP CMs in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan resigned over corruption.
“The Centre and the Delhi government are pursuing malicious propaganda against Sheila Dikshit to deflect attention from her hard work in Delhi. These allegations are a few-days-old. We have been demanding the ouster of tainted BJP leaders for months, but nothing has happened,” Azad said, justifying Sheila’s appointment.
With actor Raj Babbar as the state chief, Sheila as the party’s face and Priyanka Gandhi heading the power pyramid, the Congress hopes for a dream performance in UP, where it has only 23 MLAs in a 403-member Assembly. “We are now in a serious fight,” a veteran said.
In the evening, party vice-president Rahul Gandhi held a meeting with Sheila Dikshit, Raj Babbar and Ghulam Nabi Azad to discuss party’s strategy for the UP Assembly elections to be held in 2017.
Congress’ poll strategist Prashant Kishor had sought a Brahmin as the party’s CM face in UP to send a message to the segment that has deserted the party over the years. That explains Sheila’s projection.
Former Kannauj MP, Sheila is the daughter-in-law of late Uma Shankar Dikshit, a minister in the Indira Gandhi Cabinet. Sheila entered politics assisting him. “I am the daughter-in-law of UP and I accept this challenge,” Sheila said today making a phenomenal return to centre stage days after saying politicians don’t retire.
Meanwhile Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh was today named UP Congress’ campaign committee chief with Zafar Naqvi as convener.