Sheila Dikshit Dies at 81: President Kovind, PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi & Celebrities Express Grief On Former Delhi CM's Demise; Cremation to Take Place at 2:30 PM on Sunday at Nigam Bodh Ghat

New Delhi, July 20: Former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit breathed her last on Saturday evening at Delhi’s Escorts Fortis Hospital after suffering from cardiac arrest. Sheila Dikshit was 81. She was keeping unwell for some time and admitted to the hospital on Saturday morning. Dr Ashok Seth, Director of Escorts Fortis, said, “Sheila Dikshit was managed well by a team of doctors. At 3:15 pm she again suffered a cardiac arrest. She was put on the ventilator and at 3:55 pm she passed away peacefully.” Sheila Dikshit No More: Delhi Government Announces 2-Day State Mourning Over Former CM's Demise.

Mortal remains of the former Delhi CM  was brought to her residence in Nizamuddin in the evening. Dikshit’s body will be taken to the Congress headquarters at noon on Sunday. Her last rites will be performed at 2.30 pm at Nigam Bodh Ghat. Meanwhile, the Delhi government declared two-day mourning over the demise of former Chief Minister.

President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi and other prominent leaders expressed grief over the Delhi Congress chief’s death. PM Modi, Gandhi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Former President Pranab Mukherjee, Former PM Manmohan Singh and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal also visited Dikshit’s residence to pay last respects to the former Delhi CM.

PM Modi Paying Homage to Sheila Dikshit:

PM Modi in his tweet said that the former CM made a noteworthy contribution to Delhi’s development. Pranab Mukherjee termed Dikshit’s demise as a great loss to the nation, while Singh said that Delhi had lost an outstanding leader & administrator who transformed the state beyond recognition. Kejriwal also lauded the work done by the former CM which resulted in the development of Delhi.

PM Modi's Condolence Message:

Apart from politicians, people from Bollywood and sports also expressed sorrow on the sudden of the demise of Dikshit. Bollywood celebs including Akshay Kumar, Raveena Tandon, Urmila Matondkar, Richa Chadha condoled the death of the Delhi Congress chief. Meanwhile, Virendra Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Vijendra Singh are among the sportspersons who offered condolences to the Dikshit family. Sheila Dikshit Dies at 81: Journey of The Woman Who Became Congress Warhorse in Delhi.

Sheila Dikshit was the longest-serving chief minister of Delhi. She held the post for 15 years between 1998 and 2013. During Dikshit’s regime as CM of Delhi, the project of the metro was started. She also served as Governor of Kerala for seven months from March 2014 to August 2014. Months ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, she was appointed as Delhi’s Congress head by the then party chief Rahul Gandhi.

In the Lok Sabha polls, Dikshit contested against Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP's) Manoj Tiwari from the North East Delhi seat. However, she lost the elections. The former Delhi CM was born in a Punjabi family. She joined the active politics in Uttar Pradesh after her marriage to Vinod Dikshit, son of independence activist and former West Bengal Governor Uma Shankar Dikshit.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 20, 2019 11:41 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).