Sheila Dikshit named Congress CM candidate for UP

The Congress named on Thursday Sheila Dikshit as the party’s chief ministerial candidate for next year’s Assembly polls in the politically crucial Uttar Pradesh, putting off for the present the entry of Rahul and Priyanka into the UP fray. The 78-year-old Dikshit is the daughter-in-law of prominent Congress leader from UP, Uma Shankar Dikshit, who was a Brahmin face and had served as a Union minister and governor for a long time. Earlier this month, Dikshit, a three-time Delhi Chief Minister, had said as UP’s “daughter-in-law” she was ready to play any role in the state. Dikshit had met party President Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi last month during which she was said to have been sounded by them for a leading role in UP. The Brahmin community, a traditional vote bank of the Congress, had shifted allegiance to the BJP in the aftermath of the Mandir-Mandal politics and a section in Congress feels it should make efforts to win back the support of the community. A large chunk of Brahmin votes had also gone to Mayawati’s BSP in the past when she gave tickets to many candidates belonging to the community. The community’s support determines the poll outcome in several seats in central and eastern UP.