Very graceful of PM Modi to remember Sheila Dikshit's contribution, says son Sandeep Dikshit

Sheila Dikshit

A day before the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi, Sandeep Dikshit, Congress leader and son of former chief minister Sheila Dikshit, hailed Prime Minister Narendra after the latter praised his mother during a recent interaction.

"While our political differences remain, it is very graceful of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remember Sheila ji and her contribution. My mother and PM were fellow Chief Ministers for 12 years and often interacted at various forums. Such courtesy is essential in public life," Dikshit said on X.

During a recent interview, PM Modi said he respects Sheila Dixit a lot. “There is a chief minister who used to criticise Sheila Dikshit. I respect her a lot. She was a Congress leader. In her last days, she was disrespected a lot. I have watched her closely and could not bear any of these talks against her,” he had said.

While our political differences remain, it is very graceful of the Prime Minister @narendramodi to remember Sheila ji and her contribution.
My Mother and PM were fellow Chief Ministers for 12 years and often interacted at various forums. Such courtesy is essential in public life. pic.twitter.com/7tQRS515eL

— Sandeep Dikshit (@_SandeepDikshit) May 24, 2024

The veteran Congress leader had died in 2019 at the age of 81. She made history becoming the longest-serving chief minister of Delhi for three straight terms from 1998 to 2013. She is credited for the national capital's growing infrastructure including roads and flyovers and better public transport system.

Her son Sandeep Dikshit represented East Delhi in Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2014.

Meanwhile, on May 25, polling for the seven parliamentary constituencies in Delhi began in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha election amid tight security arrangements.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has fielded Kuldeep Kumar from the East Delhi seat, Mahabal Mishra from West Delhi, Somnath Bharti from New Delhi and Sahi Ram Pahalwan from South Delhi. The Congress has nominated J P Agarwal from the Chandni Chowk seat, Kanhaiya Kumar from North East Delhi and Udit Raj from the North West Delhi constituency.

The BJP candidates are Manoj Tiwari from North East Delhi, the only sitting MP from Delhi fielded by the party again; Ramvir Singh Bidhuri from South Delhi, Bansuri Swaraj from New Delhi, Harsh Deep Malhotra from East Delhi, Yogendra Chandolia from North West Delhi, Praveen Khandelwal from Chandni Chowk and Kamaljeet Sehrawat from West Delhi.

The BJP won all seven seats in Delhi in the 2014 and the 2019 general elections with huge margins and is aiming for a clean sweep for the third time in a row.

The opposition INDIA bloc partners AAP and Congress are contesting the elections in Delhi under a four-three seat-sharing formula.