Sheila Dikshit (31 March 1938 – 20 July 2019) was an Indian politician of the Indian National Congress who served as Chief Minister of Delhi for three consecutive terms, from 1998 to 2013. She was the longest-serving Chief Minister of Delhi and the longest-serving woman Chief Minister in India. Her years in office saw the building of the Delhi Metro, dozens of flyovers and the switch of public transport to cleaner fuel.
Quick Facts
| Birth name | Sheila Kapoor |
| Born | 31 March 1938, Kapurthala, Punjab, India |
| Died | 20 July 2019, New Delhi (aged 81) |
| Party | Indian National Congress |
| Offices | Chief Minister of Delhi (1998–2013); Governor of Kerala (2014); Union Minister of State (1986–1989) |
| Education | Convent of Jesus and Mary; Miranda House, University of Delhi (M.A. History) |
| Spouse | Vinod Dikshit (d.) |
| Children | 2 (Sandeep and Latika) |
Early Life
Sheila Kapoor was born into a Punjabi family in Kapurthala and grew up in Delhi. At Miranda House she met Vinod Dikshit, who joined the Indian Administrative Service; he was the son of Uma Shankar Dikshit, a freedom fighter and Union minister close to Indira Gandhi. She assisted her father-in-law in his work, which drew her into politics. Her husband died of a heart attack on a train journey.
Political Career
She was elected to the Lok Sabha from Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh in 1984 and was Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and in the Prime Minister’s Office under Rajiv Gandhi. She represented India at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. In 1990 she was jailed for 23 days in Uttar Pradesh while leading a protest against atrocities on women.
Sonia Gandhi made her head of the Delhi Congress in 1998, and she won that year’s election, helped by anger over onion prices. She won again in 2003 and 2008. The first Metro line opened in 2002; buses and auto-rickshaws moved to compressed natural gas; power distribution was privatised; and her “Bhagidari” scheme involved residents’ associations in running the city. Her last term was damaged by allegations of overspending on the 2010 Commonwealth Games and by public anger after the gang rape of December 2012. In 2013 she lost her own seat to Arvind Kejriwal.
She was Governor of Kerala for five months in 2014 and returned to lead the Delhi Congress in 2019, losing the North East Delhi Lok Sabha seat that year.
Death
She died of cardiac arrest at a Delhi hospital on 20 July 2019 and was cremated with state honours. Her memoir, Citizen Delhi: My Times, My Life, was published in 2018.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Sheila Dikshit born?
Sheila Dikshit was born on 31 March 1938 in Kapurthala, Punjab, India.
When did Sheila Dikshit die?
Died: 20 July 2019, New Delhi (aged 81).
Featured image: Sheila Dikshit, Chief Minister of Delhi, speaks at the 155th CPWD Day celebrations, New Delhi, 12 July 2009. Photo by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, licensed under Government Open Data License – India, via Wikimedia Commons.
