Sheila quits as Kerala governor, what has Congress in store for her?

After former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit resigned as Kerala governor on Tuesday, now what is being speculated is that she will be the face of Congress in Delhi for the Assembly elections in the National Capital, which seems to be certain now.

Though the details of the discussion are not known, Sheila Dikshit resigned from the post of Kerala Governor after she met the Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

Such reports have not emerged now, even earlier the clamour for Shiela Dikshit as face of Congress grew when the state MLAs said that she should be brought back to lead the Congress.

BJP and AAP’s credibility has also dipped in Delhi

Not only MLAs but even Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh had earlier welcomed the suggestion of bringing back Shiela Dikshit and said, "I see nothing wrong in former CM Sheila Dikshit coming into active politics in Delhi. The MLAs have shared their views and that does not mean that they want to replace me. I don't see the former CM as a challenge to my position. She is welcome."

The three-term chief minister, Sheila Dikshit, was the face of the party in the December 2013 assembly polls but failed to bring the party back to power for the fourth time. Sheila suffered her worst debacle in the national capital at the hands of debutant Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal.

Does Congress have any option other than Sheila?

The Congress is going through a rough patch as a lot of infighting is going on within the party against its Central leadership. There is a divide within the party after it suffered its worst ever defeat in the Lok Sabha polls despite heavy promotions by its poster boy and vice president Rahul Gandhi.

The party may have performed better in the recently concluded by-polls but there is a difference between winning by-polls and assembly elections. To win any election it is important to have a leader of mass appeal and at present, Sheila is the only leader who has the elements of a mass leader in the party.

The fact that BJP and AAP's credibility has also dipped in Delhi, the Congress would rely on tried and tested shoulders of Sheila Dikshit.

Thus, the Congress is left with no other option but to look upto the old guard to save the party in the state and thus, may pull out its tried and tested card to revive itself in the capital. The party thinks that Sheila's absence from state politics for more than six months would help her regain the lost ground, but whether this is a thought in the right direction or not will be known in future only.