After barely five months as the Kerala Governor, three-time Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit resigned the post on Tuesday. (PTI)
After barely five months as the Kerala Governor, three-time Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit resigned the post on Tuesday. While it gives the Narendra Modi government what it was looking for - a Governor House for its own nominees - it also gives Ms Dikshit a chance to re-enter politics and play a key role in the Congress, should another election be held in Delhi.
Here are 10 things you wanted to know about Sheila Dikshit:
She started off as a reluctant politician, and cut her political teeth assisting her father-in-law, veteran Uttar Pradesh Congress leader Uma Shankar Dikshit, a minster in Indira Gandhi's cabinet.
She was married to Vinod Dikshit, who worked in the Indian Administrative Service.
It was Indira Gandhi who first picked Sheila Dikshit to be part of a UN delegation. In 1984, she became a minister in Rajiv Gandhi's government after entering the Lok Sabha from Uttar Pradesh after her husband's death.
She was later a minister in the Prime Minister's Office before the Congress was ousted in national elections in 1989.
Ms Dikshit's rapport with Congress President Sonia Gandhi helped her become president of the faction-ridden party in Delhi in May 1998 - six months before she led it to victory in assembly elections. And for 15 whole years, the Dikshit magic worked.
Ironically, the high price of onions and other staples last year became a contributing factor to Delhiites disenchantment with Ms Dikshit. The dream run ended with the seasoned politician losing not only Delhi, but her own election as well, to debutant Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal.
But right after the election debacle, she was appointed the Governor of Kerala.
Her resignation makes her the eighth governor to quit since the Modi government came to power.
Born in Punjab's Kapurthala, Mrs Dikshit was credited with numerous people-friendly programmes. She was credited for Delhi's growing infrastructure including roads and flyovers, a less polluted city, better public transport system and development on the health and educational fronts.
She has often been called an outsider in Delhi, but Mrs Dikshit studied at the Convent of Jesus and Mary School in the capital and then at Miranda House college in Delhi University.
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