Former Delhi Chief Minister and Congress leader Sheila Dikshit died at the age of 81 on Saturday at 3.55pm. The veteran Congress leader died of a prolonged illness. Her mortal remains were brought back to her residence in Delhi’s Nizamuddin East later in the evening. The last rites will be performed at Nigam Bodh Ghat on Sunday around 2.30pm.
She was admitted in Fortis Escorts Heart Institute around 10.30 am on Saturday. The three-time Delhi Chief Minister had cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heart beat) and had to be immediately put on ventilator.
“A multi-disciplinary team of doctors, led by Dr Ashok Seth, Chairman of the hospital, carried out the advanced resuscitative measures. Her condition was stabilised temporarily. However, she had another cardiac arrest and despite all the resuscitative efforts, she passed away at 3.55 pm on Saturday,” said a spokesperson of the hospital.
Dikshit underwent a heart surgery in France last year. Dr Ashok Seth had earlier advised her to undergo the procedure performed at University Hospital in Lille, France, under the care of Dr Thomas Modine.
She was currently serving as the Delhi Congress chief, a charge she took over in January this year.
Condolences poured in from various quarters. The Congress party tweeted, “We regret to hear of the passing of Smt Sheila Dikshit. Lifelong congresswoman and three-time CM of Delhi, she transformed the face of Delhi. Our condolences to her family and friends. Hope they find strength in this time of grief.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was deeply saddened by the death of Sheila Dikshit. “Blessed with a warm and affable personality, she made a noteworthy contribution to Delhi’s development. Condolences to her family and supporters. Om Shanti,” Modi tweeted.
Accompanied by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Modi paid his tributes to senior Congress leader at her residence. Former Congress president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi too paid her tributes to Sheila at her residence. She met the Sheila’s sister Rama Dikshit and expressed her condolences.
Others who paid their last respects included senior Congress leaders Jyotiraditya Scindia, Shivraj Patil, Ahmed Patel and Jagdish Tytler, LJP leader Sharad Yadav and CPI(M) leaders Sitaram Yechury and Brinda Karat.
President Ram Nath Kovind tweeted, “Her term in office was a period of momentous transformation for the capital for which she will be remembered. Condolences to her family and associates.”
“I’m devastated to hear about the passing away of Sheila Dikshit Ji, a beloved daughter of the Congress party, with whom I shared a close personal bond. My condolences to her family & the citizens of Delhi, whom she served selflessly as a 3 term CM, in this time of great grief,” Rahul Gandhi wrote on Twitter.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, “It is a huge loss for Delhi and her contribution will always be remembered. My heartfelt condolences to her family members. May her soul rest in peace.”
Delhi BJP president and North-East Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari said in a tweet that he was deeply pained to hear the sad and sudden demise of Sheila Dikshit. Tiwari and Dikshit contested against each other for the North-East Delhi Lok Sabha seat in the 2019 general elections.
“May God bless her soul and give her eternal peace... Delhi will miss you Ma’am, u were a mother figure in my life...#RIPSheilaDixit,” Tiwari wrote on Twitter.
Sheila Dikshit was credited for Delhi’s growing infrastructure including roads and flyovers, a less polluted city, better public transport system as well as development on the health and educational fronts.
Dikshit, a well-known figure in Indian politics, was a powerful administrator and leader who ruled Delhi thrice since 1998. She held the record of leading her party to three consecutive victories in New Delhi constituency in the Legislative Assembly of Delhi. She was the second woman Chief Minister of Delhi after Sushma Swaraj.
Dikshit’s entry into Indian politics was coincidental. Her father-in-law was a renowned activist during India’s freedom struggle and later went on to become a Union Cabinet Minister in the Indira Gandhi Government.
