dna exclusive: Sheila Dikshit likely to shift her battle field out of New Delhi

Three-time chief minister Sheila Dikshit is likely to shift her electoral battle field from New Delhi to one of the assembly segments falling under the East Delhi parliamentary constituency, from where her son is an MP.

The BJP has fielded its former state unit president Vijender Gupta in New Delhi, which is Dikshit’s constituency, and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal has already announced that he would contest the election against her there.

According to sources, Dikshit might not want to take the chance of losing either to Kejriwal or Gupta.  “Gupta may not be a national face, but he is one of the stalwarts in the Delhi political arena and will give a tough competition to the Congress,” said a senior Congress leader.

Experts also feel that had the BJP not chosen a serious candidate for the seat, it would have appeared that the party has left the turf to the AAP. Also since it’s still not clear whether the AAP will eat into the Congress vote share or that of the BJP, Dikshit probably does not want to take any chance.

After the BJP announced its list, the Congress has started reworking on its candidate list. “The New Delhi constituency is dominated by middle and upper middle class and government officials.

The AAP has been doing its ground work in the area for the past few months. With Gupta also expected to give Dikshit a tough fight, she might want to move to a comfortable territory,” a senior party leader said.

However top Congress leaders deny any such change for the time being. “If Dikshit does not contest from New Delhi, the AAP will portray itself as the winner. The cadre will also lose its morale if she changes the seat,” said a top Congress leader.