Delhi Assembly polls: Sheila in action, behind the scenes

Congress confident the three-time CM's presence will boost its prospects

The coming election to the Delhi Assembly has so far been labelled a two-way contest between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), but the Congress is not throwing in the towel yet.

The party has released its first list of candidates. It is busy shortlisting the remaining candidates and hopes to finalise the names by this weekend. Party senior Sheila Dikshit, who previously had three terms as Delhi's chief minister, has said she is not contesting this time but the Congress is sure her experience will boost its prospects.

Insiders say Dikshit, beside campaigning extensively, is also being consulted for selection of candidates. Her return to the capital from Kerala, where she had been appointed governor by the previous central government, was initially perceived as problematic. However, with most of her erstwhile detractors, such as Ajay Maken, out of the scene in Delhi’s politics, Dikshit is one of the key figures in the Congress calling the shots for the coming polls.

According to sources, the party’s candidate for the New Delhi constituency, from where Dikshit had contested and lost to AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal in the previous election, could also go to a person from the “Sheila Dikshit camp”, possibly former minister Kiran Walia.

Speaking to Business Standard, Dikshit confirmed: “I will not contest the election but will be available to do whatever else the party wants me to do.” The Congress’ Delhi incharge, P C Chacko, has already declared the former chief minister will be a “star campaigner” for the party.

Though Dikshit had not shown inclination to join active Delhi politics on her return from Kerala, she, being close to the Congress’ top leadership, was seen as a vital resource. Her detractors, including former Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) chief J P Aggarwal and former Union minister Maken had tried to put the blame for the party’s poor show in the previous election on Dikshit.

The screening committee for the polls, which includes leaders like M Veerappa Moily and Chacko, are said to be consulting Dikshit before deciding on important seats. DPCC chief Arvinder Singh Lovely and former legislature party leader Haroon Yusuf — both old Dikshit loyalists — are among the other members of the committee.

The fact that Dikshit baiters have been sidelined is visible in the fact that candidates are being finalised here even as Maken is abroad. Most ministers in the erstwhile Dikshit cabinet have bagged tickets and through them the party is looking to double its current tally of eight seats in the 70-member Assembly.

Though many in Congress had earlier blamed the former chief minister for underestimating AAP’s strength, a section in the Congress had also recognised Dikshit still was the party’s most prominent face in Delhi.