Sheila Dikshit announced Congress' CM candidate for UP

Former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit was today announced as the Congress' chief ministerial candidate for the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.

78-year-old Dikshit's choice for the top post comes amid speculations that Prashant Kishore, who has been roped in as the party's poll strategist for Uttar Pradesh, is of the view that a Brahmin face represents the Congress in the politically crucial state.

Dikshit is the daughter-in-law of prominent Congress leader from Uttar Pradesh Uma Shankar Dikshit, who was a Brahmin face and had served as a union minister and governor for a long time.

This move can be seen as an attempt on the Congress Party's part to win back its traditional upper caste voters.

The community, a traditional vote bank of the Congress, later shifted allegiance to the BJP. A large chunk of Brahmin votes had also gone to the BSP in the past when party supremo Mayawati gave tickets to many candidates belonging to the community.

Dikshit had earlier last month met the Congress top brass amid speculation that she may be made the party's chief ministerial face for next year's assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh.

Dikshit, who served thrice as the Delhi Chief Minister before AAP's Arvind Kejriwal dismissed her with a record mandate in December 2013, had earlier said that she was ready for any role which the party assigns to her.