Sheila Dikshit Biography

Sheila Dikshit

Sheila Dikshit served as the chief minister of Delhi for three consecutive terms, lasting from 1998 to 2013. She was the second woman chief minister of Delhi, after succeeding the previous Delhi chief minister, Sushma Swaraj. Dikshit is an alumni of the Miranda House College in Delhi and holds a Master of Arts degree. She has also been honoured with the Doctor of Philosophy (Honouris Causa) from the University of Delhi.

Dikshit was married to Late Vinod Dikshit, who was a member of the Indian Administrative Service and whose father, Late Umashankar Dikshit, was a famous independence activist and a former Governor and Union Cabinet Minister. She has two children, son Sandeep Dikshit and daughter Latika Syed.

Political career

Sheila Dikshit represented the Kannauj Parliamentary Constituency of Uttar Pradesh from 1984 to 1989 and as a member of the Lok Sabha she served on the Estimates Committee of the Lok Sabha. Dikshit also represented India at the United Nations Commission on Status of Women for five years from 1984 to 1989 and was president of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee led her party to victory in the Assembly Elections in 1998.

Dikshit was also Union Minister from 1986 to 1989, first as the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and later as Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s office. As Chief Minister of Delhi, Dikshit was awarded the Best Chief Minister of India by the Journalist Association of India in 2008 and the following year she was honoured with Politician of the Year award by the NDTV.

Dikshit resigned from the post of the Chief Minister of Delhi after she lost the Delhi Assembly election held in December 2013.

Governor of Kerala

Dikshit has also served as the Governor of Kerala. She assumed office on 4 March 2014 and resigned on 26 August 2014. The decision of the INC party to appoint her as the Governor of Kerala was announced by the Union Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde.