Life and times of Sheila Dikshit, the woman who transformed Delhi into a sparkling metropolitan

Former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit breathed her last on Saturday in the national capital. Here's a peek into the life of the Congress veteran leader who served as the chief minister of Delhi for 15 years. 

Born in 1938 in Kapurthala, Punjab as Sheila Kapoor, Dikshit went to Miranda House in University of Delhi for her studies. 

Her tryst with the political world began when she got married to the Dikshit family and became the daughter-in-law of Uttar Pradesh leader Uma Shankar Dikshit.

Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi first noticed young Sheila. She worked closely with former PM Rajiv Gandhi.

In her taintless career as Delhi's longest-serving chief minister, Dikshit transformed the infrastructure of the national capital giving it a look sprawling with wide roads, flyovers and world-class Metro service. 

Sheila Dikshit led the Congress to a resounding victory with 52 seats in Delhi Assembly and went on to take the seat of national capital's chief minister. 

Her stint was repeated for the next two terms - 2003 and in 2008. 

Despite her hard work, Dikshit met with hurdles and setbacks as Congress grappled with corruption scandals at the Centre. She came under scanner for the Commonwealth Games fiasco in 2010 which is often seen as the beginning of her political downfall. 

The rise of young, firebrand politician Arvind Kejriwal and his new party AAP shook Dikshit's hold on the national capital. Her Delhi government also bore the brunt of the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape case. 
 

Congress was reduced to just eight seats in the Assembly. Kejriwal dethroned Dikshit after gaining support from the Congress as the results threw hung verdict.

In 2015 polls, the Congress failed to open its account in Delhi for the first time - a setback, both for the grand old party and Dikshit.  

Despite Dikshit's loss in the recently conducted Lok Sabha polls, she was seen a key player to turn Congress' luck around and reviving the party for the Assembly elections due next year. 

Dikshit's loss leaves behind a dent not just in the political fabric of the national capital but in the minds and hearts of millions of Indians. 

The Congress veteran was known for her soft-spoken nature, love for conversations, good food and of course, Delhi. She lives on in the hearts of all Indians and will always be dearly remembered.