Former CM Sheila Dikshit may succeed Ajay Maken as Delhi Congress chief: Sources

A day after senior Congress leader Ajay Maken resigned as Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president, sources have reported that former chief minister Sheila Dikshit might succeed Maken as the Delhi party head.

Maken's resignation came after a possible alliance between the Congress and the AAP in Delhi for 2019 Lok Sabha polls, while he was strongly opposed to any truck with the AAP in the national capital, as per news agency PTI.

Reports have further state that alliance decision will be accepted by her on the acceptability of the high command.

"The party will decide, the high command, Rahul Gandhi and all will decide and whatever they decide will be acceptable to all of us," Ms Dikshit told news agency ANI.

Sheila Dikshit served as the Chief Minister of Delhi for three terms before AAP's Arvind Kejriwal succeeded her in December 2013 with a record mandate.

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On Friday, Ajay Maken issued a tweet of thanks all and confirming his impending departure from the Delhi Congress Committee. In his tweet he wrote, "After the 2015 Delhi assembly elections, as its Delhi unit president I received a lot of love and support from Congress workers, the media covering the party and our leader Rahul Gandhiji. It was not easy in these difficult times. Thank you all". 

The 54-year-old leader took over as the head of the Congress's Delhi unit four years ago, when the party lost the assembly elections in 2015

Other than Sheila Dikshit, Congress leaders Yoganand Shastri, Rajkumar Chauhan, Haroon Yusuf and Chatar Singh are also in the fray for the post of the party's Delhi unit chief, the sources told PTI. 

READ: Ajay Maken Quits As Congress Delhi Chief, Resignation Accepted By Rahul Gandhi: Sources

(With agency inputs)