A day after taking charge, former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit, team start election campaign

In between accepting greetings and felicitations, Dikshit conducted two introductory meetings with party members.

A day after taking charge, former Delhi chief minister and the state’s new Congress chief Sheila Dikshit on Friday launched the party’s election campaign with informal meetings with her core team.

Newly-appointed Delhi Congress President Sheila Dikshit greeted by her supporters at her residence in New Delhi, India, on Friday, January 11, 2019. (Amal KS/HT PHOTO)

On Friday morning, well-wishers and supporters flocked Dikshit’s Nizamuddin east residence to congratulate the three-time CM on her new role.

In between accepting greetings and felicitations, Dikshit conducted two introductory meetings with party members. “The first step will be to meet people from all levels. Congress will be revived in Delhi,” Dikshit said.

Senior Congress leaders said that a ceremony is being planned on January 16 for Dikshit and the three working presidents to formally take charge. Apart from Dikshit, three others — Haroon Yusuf, a former minister in Dikshit’s cabinet, Devender Yadav and Rajesh Lilothia, both two-time state legislators and present All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretaries — were appointed working presidents of Congress’ Delhi unit.

This is the first time that three working presidents will lead the Congress’ charge to win the 2019 Parliamentary elections and the Assembly elections in the following year.

Devender Yadav, one of the three new working presidents, said that the plan would be to chalk out a strategy and divide responsibilities between the three working presidents.

“After a formal taking over, we will formulate a strategy for the elections and it is for the first time that three working presidents will be working with the DPCC president. We will need to decide who concentrates on what area,” Yadav said.