The party is looking to revive its fortunes in Delhi after a series of poll debacles
Newly-appointed Delhi Congress president Sheila Dikshit on Wednesday took charge of the new office at Rajiv Bhawan, the office of the state Congress, in the presence of a large gathering of workers and senior leaders. Devender Yadav, Haroon Yusuf and Rajesh Lilothia -- the three new working presidents -- also took charge along with Dikshit. However, the presence of Jagdish Tytler at the event sparked off a controversy, with opposition leaders accusing that the Congress is trying to intimidate the witnesses in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases.
A large number of party workers were present on the occasion to greet the former Delhi chief minister as she reached the office amid slogans and drum beats. Chants like "Sheila Dikshit Ayi Hai, Badlaw Ki Andhi Layi Hai" "(Sheila Dikshit has come with a storm of change) were heard.
With Dikshit at the helm of affairs, the party is looking to stage a comeback in the state politics after a series of poll debacles starting with losing of power in 2013.
Dikshit said she would try and take the party to new heights in Delhi and sought help of ground-level workers. She also said that the Congress would make an all out effort to win all the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi.
Dikshit, 80, was appointed to the post after Ajay Maken stepped down citing health troubles.
Ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Dikshit's appointment as the Delhi unit chief is considered to be a significant move that can have a serious impact on the party's overall strategy. Though she has not given a clear reply to the speculations that her party may go for an alliance with the AAP in Delhi, the possibility remains alive as she has already clarified that she would go by the party high command's direction on this issue. The first target of her leadership or a possible alliance between Cong and AAP would be winning some of the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, which all have BJP MPs at the moment.
Senior Congress leaders Karan Singh, Janardan Dwivedi, Meira Kumar, PC Chacko, Sandip Dikshit and Ajay Maken were among those present as Dikshit took charge.
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