Sheila Dikshit was a beloved daughter of Congress: Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said he was devastated to hear about the passing away of former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit and called her a "beloved daughter" of the party. 

In a tweet, Gandhi said, "I am devastated to hear about the passing away of Sheila Dikshit Ji, a beloved daughter of the Congress Party, with whom I shared a close personal bond. My condolences to her family & the citizens of Delhi, whom she served selflessly as a three-term chief minister, in this time of great grief."

I’m devastated to hear about the passing away of Sheila Dikshit Ji, a beloved daughter of the Congress Party, with whom I shared a close personal bond.

My condolences to her family & the citizens of Delhi, whom she served selflessly as a 3 term CM, in this time of great grief.

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 20, 2019

The Congress, in its official Twitter handle, posted, "We regret to hear of the passing (away) of Smt Sheila Dikshit. Lifelong congresswoman and as three time CM of Delhi she transformed the face of Delhi. Our condolences to her family and friends. Hope they find strength in this time of grief."

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot also condoled the demise of his party colleague Dikshit. "Deeply sad and anguished to know about the demise of Sheila Dikshit ji. It is a great loss for Congress," Gehlot tweeted.

 She was a mass leader and would be hugely missed," he added. Dikshit passed away on Saturday at a private hospital in Delhi. She was 81. 

Dikshit breathed her last at 3.55 pm at Fortis Escorts hospital, doctors said.  She was president of Delhi Congress. She served as Delhi's chief minister for 15 years from 1998-2013 and also served as the governor of Kerala.

She unsuccessfully fought the recent Lok Sabha elections from the North-East Delhi constituency. She represented New Delhi constituency in Delhi Vidhan Sabha.

Dikshit became an MP for the first time from Kannauj Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh in 1984. She was also a close associate of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and a minister in his cabinet.

President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal were among those who condoled her death.