Sheila Dikshit is a powerful administrator and a popular leader who was elected as the Chief Minister of Delhi for three consecutive terms. She is a member of the Indian National Congress and led her party to success in many crucial situations. She is only the second woman Chief Minister of Delhi. She always catered to the needs of the poor and needy, stressing largely on her party ideologies such as tolerance, secularism and development.
Background
Sheila Dikshit was born on March 31, 1938 in Kapurthala, Punjab state. She finished her primary education at the Convent of Jesus and Mary School, New Delhi and also finished a Master's degree in Arts from Miranda House, Delhi University. She then proceeded to pursue a D. in Philosophy from the University of Delhi. She married Shri Vinod Dikshit who was a respected Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer. The famous freedom fighter and Union Cabinet Minister Shri Umashankar Dikshit was Sheila Dikshit's father-in-law. Her son Sandeep Dikshit is now a Member of Parliament (MP). She has a daughter as well.
Career
Sheila Dikshit's entry to politics was accidental. Her father-in-law Shri Uma Shankar Dikshit was a Union Cabinet Minister in Indira Gandhi's ministry and Sheila used to help him quite a lot. Her administrative skills were acknowledged by Indira Gandhi, the former Prime Minister of India, and she nominated Sheila Dikshit as a representative for the Indian delegation of the United Nations Commission on the status of women. This was her first entry to politics and marked the beginning of the journey that took her to the respectable chair of the Chief Minister of Delhi. After representing India in the United Nations, she became a Member of Parliament representing the Kannauj Constituency during 1984-1989. She chaired the "Implementation Committee" organized for the commemoration of the 40th Anniversary of India's Independence and also Jawaharlal Nehru's centenary. Sheila Dikshit possesses enormous experience in administrative and parliamentary matters and served as a Minister in the Union Government during 1986-89, both as Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and as a Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office. She served her party as its President and saw that it achieved victory in the 1988 assembly elections. However, she had to face many criticisms and allegations regarding the Common Wealth Games.