Sheila elected CLP leader in Delhi

Shiela Dikshit, who steered the Congress to a historic hat-trick in Delhi, was on Wednesday elected as the leader of Congress Legislature Party (CLP), paving way for her "third innings" as Chief Minister in the national capital.

Shiela Dikshit, who steered the Congress to a historic hat-trick in Delhi, was on Wednesday elected as the leader of Congress Legislature Party (CLP), paving way for her "third innings" as Chief Minister in the national capital.

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Dikshit was elected at a meeting of 42 party MLAs here this afternoon.

The meeting was attended among others by AICC General Secretary Mohsina Kidwai, Minister of State for Finance P K Bansal and DPCC chief Jai Prakash Aggarwal.

In the meeting, sources said, a resolution supported by all the MLAs was placed which left the choice of the CLP leader to party chief Sonia Gandhi.

Kidwai contacted Gandhi, who apparently told the AICC General Secretary about her wishes, during the meeting and afterwards Dikshit was elected unanimously, they said.

"I am very happy today," a beaming Dikshit told PTI.

Her election to the post was made in about 90 minutes of meeting compared to the week-long political drama in 2003 when she was made the Chief Minister.

Fighting anti-incumbency and a high-pitched BJP campaign on terrorism, Dikshit had managed to romp her party home to power for the third time on the plank of good governance and development.

Though Congress has not declared its Chief Ministerial candidate, the party had during campaigning given clear indication that if voted to power, Dikshit will have a "third innings".

Congress won the Assembly election 42-23 against BJP for a third consecutive term, overcoming anti-incumbency and fear of Mumbai terror attacks costing it votes.