It's official: Sheila Dikshit named UP CM candidate for Congress

New Delhi, July 14: Former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit was named as the Congress chief ministerial candidate for Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, to be held next year.

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad addressed a press conference on Thursday, where he announced that Dikshit will be the party's CM candidate for UP assembly polls.

Azad rubbished corruption charges against her and said: "Sheila Dikshit is experienced and hard working. No one can undermine her 15 year work in Delhi."

While there is still no clarity over Priyanka Gandhi's role in the elections beyond campaigning in Amethi and Rae Bareli, Dikshit had earlier told reporters: "I am a bahu of Uttar Pradesh and there's no retirement age in politics," thereby indicating that she was open to a bigger role in the elections if the party needed her.

News reports also suggest that Prashant Kishor, whom the party roped in to manage the election campaign suggested that Dikshit be named as the UP CM candidate. Kishor recommended Dikshit's name as she being a Brahmin, would help the party with Bramhim votes in the state.

Though there is some skepticism relating to her representing the party in UP, it is said that the Congress high command have given the go-ahead to Dikshit being named as the chief ministerial candidate.

Meanwhile, Congress had on Tuesday appointed Raj Babbar as the chief of the Uttar Pradesh Congress replacing Nirmal Khatri.

OneIndia News