Sheila Dikshit: The UP 'bahu' who wants to conquer the state now

NEW DELHI: The Congress today announced 78-year-old Sheila Dikshit as UP's chief ministerial candidate. After initially refusing the nomination some days back, Dikshit finally gave in today, encouraged, probably, by the thought that UP would never reject its 'bahu'.

The latest development shows that the Congress party has finally realized that it can no longer bank on charisma and now has to depend on merit. In declaring the CM candidate during the campaigning period, the Congress is taking a leaf out of BJP's book where they had won after declaring Sarbananda Sonowal as the CM candidate in Assam.

For those who are not aware, Sheila Dikshit is the one of the earliest political ‘bahus’ of UP (and predates Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra by a few decades). She was married to Vinod Dikshit, son of former West Bengal and Karnataka Governor, the late Uma Shankar Dikshit, who was born in 1901 in the village Ugu of Unnao district. It was under her father-in-law that she learnt the ropes and cut her political teeth.

While Uma Shankar Dikshit was then a minster in Indira Gandhi's cabinet, her husband, Vinod worked in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS).

Uma Shankar served in the capacities of home minister, health minister and Governor of Karnataka & West Bengal. He also served as treasurer of All India Congress Committee. He was also the recipient of the Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award in India in 1989.