Senior Congress leader and former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit passed away on Saturday at the Fortis Hospital in Delhi. 81-year-old Sheila Dikshit, who ruled the Delhi government for 15 years, had been the chief minister of Delhi for three consecutive terms.
You must be knowing Dikshit only as the three-time Chief Minister of Delhi, but here are the 10 things you must know about her:
1) Sheila Dikshit was the daughter-in-law of late Congress veteran from UP Uma Shankar Dikshit, who had served as a Union minister and governor for a long time.
2) Born on March 31, 1938 in Kapurthala, Punjab, Sheela's initial education took place from Delhi's Convent of Jesus and Mary School. She post graduated in history from Miranda House, Delhi University. She also held a Doctorate in Philosophy from the University of Delhi.
3) Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi nominated her as a representative for the Indian delegation of the United Nations Commission. She represented India at the UN for five years, from 1984-1989.
4) Entering into politics in 1984, she first served as the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and later as a Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office till 1989, when Congress lost the general elections.
5) She was jailed for 23 days in 1990 along with her 82 colleagues by the Uttar Pradesh government, after she led a drive against the reported violence committed on women in the state.
6) She was given the command of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) in May 1998, six months before she led it to victory in assembly elections. She was also appointed as the Governor of Kerala in March 2014.
7) Before joining politics, she was associated with many organisations and also opened hostels for working women in Delhi.
8) Sheila had been the Chief Minister of Delhi in three terms from 1998 to 2013. A long network of metro and flyovers is considered to be one of her greatest contributions to Delhi.
9) Her 15-year tenure in Delhi as CM ended with the emergence of AAP in 2013 polls in which Congress lost power.
10) Along with the credit for development of Delhi as the CM, allegations of various scams had also been a part of Sheila's government. She faced serious allegations in the Commonwealth, Tanker and Meter scam. She was also accused of releasing Manu Sharma, the main accused of the Jessica Lal murder case, on parole.
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