Here's why Sheila's resignation as Kerala governor is worrying Cong leaders

It’s a resignation that has raised more questions than answers for the Congress. Sheila Dikshit resigning as Governor of Kerala this Tuesday has sparked off more political speculation in Delhi’s political circles than expected. Even though she has not given any indication about her next move it has ruffled feathers amongst the senior Congress leaders of Delhi. Her tenure of three terms (1998-2013) ensured that Sheila had become synonymous with Delhi and any achievement or problem in Delhi earned her admirers and scorn at the same time. She was clearly the tallest and undisputed leader in the state and its 70-member assembly. But the crushing defeat in 2013 assembly elections, especially her’s to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal from New Delhi seat had daggers drawn against her. She was appointed Governor just days before the model code of conduct for 2014 general elections came into effect on 11th March. Since then, the party has been struggling to keep afloat in Delhi’s new political scenario. [caption id=“attachment_1685787” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Sheila Dikshit. AFP.[/caption] “If there is anyone in the Congress who can actually get sympathy from the people of Delhi, it is Sheila Ji,” says a close aide of Sheila Dikshit on terms of anonymity. “Workers still look up to her and she remains the face of Delhi Congress whether people like it or not,” he added. Though the Congress high command opted for a comparatively young leader in Arvinder Singh Lovely to take over as Delhi Congress chief, the results have not been encouraging for the party, as the party remains a distant third choice in the eyes of the public. There is no doubt that Lovely has himself led from the front against the BJP and the AAP on issues ranging from shortage of power and water to price rise, but he has also alienated many seniors within the state unit. The situation had reached a flashpoint last month in July when some MLAs met Congress president Sonia Gandhi asking her to bring back Shiela Dikshit and help in running the state unit. The current setup under Lovely is non-committal about Sheila’s possible return. “She remains a very respected and senior person of our party. She and the party high command have to take a call about what role she should play in Delhi,” said Mukesh Sharma, spokesperson, Delhi Congress. While Lovely continues to enjoy the confidence of the senior leadership and is busy steering the ship with Haroon Yusuf as leader of the Congress in Delhi assembly, another senior leader has been waiting in the wings. Former Union minister Ajay Maken has been working behind the scenes to be projected as the new face of the party. He is known to take good care of his supporters and was seen as the antidote to Sheila camp during the UPA regime (2004-2014). His proximity to Rahul Gandhi as head of the party’s media wing is an indication that he remains a serious contender along with Lovely for the top honours in the state. Both remain aloof from the recent developments, while Sheila kept everyone guessing. When asked about her future role in the party, specifically Delhi, “I am not in a position to answer right now” is all she told reporters after her resignation as Governor on Tuesday. Despite no clarity on the three time chief minister’s possible return to active politics, it has shaken the current stakeholders out of their comfort zone. Sources say that these leaders are already pushing forward the argument that the Opposition will rake issues of her alleged corruption in Commonwealth Games (CWG), Delhi Jal Board and nexus with private power distribution companies in the Delhi electricity scam. This will push the party back to where it was in December last year, and all the hard work done by the post Sheila regime in taking to the streets to protest against BJP and AAP would come to naught. Despite their reservations, half of the party’s 8 MLA’s remain loyal to the former Chief Minister, she enjoys the confidence of Mateen Ahmed, Asif Mohammad Khan, Hasan Ahmed and Prahlad Singh Sawhney and the numbers seem evenly stacked between the pro and anti Sheila lobby. “I am not in a position to tell you whether she (Sheila) will be back to active politics in Delhi,” says Sandeep Dikshit, two-time former MP from East Delhi and son of the former chief minister who distanced himself from the entire issue. Reports suggest that Sheila wanted to stay on Governor of Kerala till November this year, as that would give her enough time to rethink her future plans. But it seems that the NDA was in a hurry to ease her out, and she comes back to Delhi at a time when the state is expected to go to polls in a few months time. She also put up a show of strength when many senior leaders lined up at Kerala Bhavan to discuss the political fallout of her resignation at such a crucial juncture. Former speaker Yoganand Shastri, former ministers Kiran Walia and Ramakant Goswami were among those who called on her. The message from her seems to be clear that old is still gold. As for the high command, the ball has just been rolled into their court.