“The Sheila’s Regime and the Transforming Delhi” By HimadrishSuwan

“Our work speaks for itself. When people look around, they can see the good work I have done in Delhi” ~Sheila Dikshit

The “15 years” of the Congress rule in Delhi was “HISTORIC”. A teacher before she plunged into politics by default, the longest serving woman chief minister, and above all a women of substance. In the last 15 years, the entire look of the capital has changed. Delhi is now tagged as one of the best cities in the world. A never resting city of the world with diversity of languages, ethnicities, culture, and heritage, Delhi has plethora of tourist attraction places. It is called the “City of ranges”. Even the critics would concur that in the 15 years of Sheila Dikshit being at the helm of the affairs as CM, Delhi has transformed completely.
Dikshit’s development oriented and statesman like approach is what helped transform Delhi. Ever since SheilaDixit became the Chief Minister, the state of Delhi witnessed tremendous development in varied fields. Be it the building of sprawling bridges, well-connected Metro line, or the state of the art flyovers, the city transformed into a truly global hub under the astute leadership of the visionary lady. The metro rail is considered one of the biggest accomplishments of the ShielaDikshit government. While the idea and the concept of “Metro” was that of the AtalBihari Vajpayee led NDA government, the Sheila Dikshit government and administration were instrumental in its realization. There’s no denying that it is Dikshit who understood the grave importance of the metro rail connectivity for the benefit of countless commuters. It was due to her untiring efforts that we see a major segment of the capital city being well connected by metro rail link today.
Delhi’s transformation and growth is visible be it ‘World Class’ Infrastructure, marked improvement in Health, Water and Sanitation. Special Focus on Girl Child and Education, Substantial Improvement in Healthcare.
The historic years of good governance by the Sheila government will always be part of ‘history’ as governments may come and go, but Sheila Dikshit’s memorable 15 years of good governance will always be cherished for times to come. Sheila Dikshit lost the battle not because of local issues, but because of the overall image of her party at the national level which had taken a beating due to corruption and policy paralysis. The mood at the Delhi Congress office, and lack of visible support from the party men was an indication that the party was not expecting a fourth term for Dikshit. In all fairness, it is difficult for any party to overcome anti-incumbency of three terms, but what made the task even tougher was that the party was facing double anti-incumbency owing to the nearly 10 years of UPA government.
Albeit political stalwarts are known to make thumping comebacks, Sheila Dikshit’s name is already etched in the books of Delhi history, and will always be remembered for her glorious developmental vision and execution.
Plaudits to her!!