It’s half-past nine on a late November night as it starts getting cold in verdant Lutyens’ Delhi. By now, the visitors’ door has been firmly shut at 3 Motilal Nehru Place, the official residence of Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit. I check with her secretary over my appointment. I’m told to knock at the main gate.
As the tall iron gates open up, one immediately witnesses hectic political activity inside. Myriad scenes unfold. Dikshit’s sister Rama Dhawan, who manages her New Delhi constituency, is holding confabulations with a group of party workers. Such scenes must also have been witnessed by reporters who covered the 2009 assembly polls in the national capital.
On being ushered into the now empty drawing room, one wonders whether s/he is early or late for the interview. <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">The CM has just returned after addressing half a dozen election rallies in Delhi’s underbelly – <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">the North East district. One can hear noises coming from the inner enclaves, even as s/he is overawed as <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">the diminutive head of Delhi government for the past 15 years suddenly makes an entrance, accompanied by her time-tested political aides.
‘How about taking you on a campaign trail, rather than answering questions sitting inside a room when the environment outside is so exciting,’ quips Dikshit, not giving much option but to hop on to her SUV, which she has been using for poll campaigns ever since the election-related code of conduct was put in place. She is accompanied by her son-in-law Imran, who, along with his <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">wife Latika, shoulders substantial electioneering responsibilities during the polls.
Before the engine starts, she quickly checks with some of the political workers from her constituency if everything was fine. ‘Baba, aajkal tarah tarak ke survey aa rahe hain (there are a variety of surveys flooding the market),’ she says as the vehicle moves out. On the road, she pulls out a report on the status of the campaign in all the 70 seats. Pushing the report inside an envelope after quickly previewing it, she says, ‘I am going to spring a surprise on all the doomsayers on 8 December. I am increasingly getting confident as I go out campaigning. I have just come back after covering 10 constituencies in North-East district, and but for one, all meetings were excellent.’
I check on the fact that the one bad meeting she is talking about is from <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">Gokulpuri, where Mayawati had addressed a rally and the seat is held by her party.
Meandering through the bylanes of government colonies, getting at times stuck in wedding traffics, we finally reach our destination, one among several marriage pandals. The guests at the pandal suddenly brighten up seeing the chief minister. The poor groom had arrived a few minutes earlier and his lifetime welcome ceremony is somewhat cut short by <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">Dikshit’s arrival. Even the priest chanting the mantra shifts focus from matrimonial dignitary to the ceremonial guest. She makes it up for the groom calling the photographer to click her with the ‘dulha raja’, who now sports a broad green. Cameras go clicking as rose petals are showered.
Done with a round of the pandal, she is back in the vehicle and back to business to be briefed on what else she needs to speak at her meeting. ‘Look at the cacophony which BJP has created with every leader from <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">Narendra Modi, Rajnath Singh, Sushma, <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">Jaitley and Gadkari blaring out of the radio promising to do what not to Delhi. <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">Poor Harshvardhan is hardly heard. Never mind he is a good friend, would talk to him after 4 December,’ she chuckles as the cavalcade moves on.
On what gives her the confidence that she would spring another surprise, in a matter of fact manner she says, ‘My MLAs. It’s not just me who is fighting the election to retain Delhi for Congress but each of the candidates whom we have fielded. Jaitley talks about Congress facing double anti-incumbency in Delhi, he doesn’t know that there is a huge pro-incumbency at the MLA level.’ The cavalcade is back at her residence as an aide pushes the next day’s engagement for her approval. ‘I hope sometime has been kept for meetings in New Delhi,’ says Dikshit giving indications that she has a keen eye on the developments on her own seat.
The day is not yet over for her. A review meeting would now begin with her Lok Sabha member son Sandeep Dikshit joining with some other MLAs and ministers.
As I take leave, the aide in-charge of engagement informs that she would start meeting people next morning by eight and by then she would be through with the newspaper headlines. Who said a politician’s is a job to be envied?
As the tall iron gates open up, one immediately witnesses hectic political activity inside. Myriad scenes unfold. Dikshit’s sister Rama Dhawan, who manages her New Delhi constituency, is holding confabulations with a group of party workers. Such scenes must also have been witnessed by reporters who covered the 2009 assembly polls in the national capital.
On being ushered into the now empty drawing room, one wonders whether s/he is early or late for the interview. <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">The CM has just returned after addressing half a dozen election rallies in Delhi’s underbelly – <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">the North East district. One can hear noises coming from the inner enclaves, even as s/he is overawed as <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">the diminutive head of Delhi government for the past 15 years suddenly makes an entrance, accompanied by her time-tested political aides.
‘How about taking you on a campaign trail, rather than answering questions sitting inside a room when the environment outside is so exciting,’ quips Dikshit, not giving much option but to hop on to her SUV, which she has been using for poll campaigns ever since the election-related code of conduct was put in place. She is accompanied by her son-in-law Imran, who, along with his <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">wife Latika, shoulders substantial electioneering responsibilities during the polls.
Before the engine starts, she quickly checks with some of the political workers from her constituency if everything was fine. ‘Baba, aajkal tarah tarak ke survey aa rahe hain (there are a variety of surveys flooding the market),’ she says as the vehicle moves out. On the road, she pulls out a report on the status of the campaign in all the 70 seats. Pushing the report inside an envelope after quickly previewing it, she says, ‘I am going to spring a surprise on all the doomsayers on 8 December. I am increasingly getting confident as I go out campaigning. I have just come back after covering 10 constituencies in North-East district, and but for one, all meetings were excellent.’
I check on the fact that the one bad meeting she is talking about is from <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">Gokulpuri, where Mayawati had addressed a rally and the seat is held by her party.
Meandering through the bylanes of government colonies, getting at times stuck in wedding traffics, we finally reach our destination, one among several marriage pandals. The guests at the pandal suddenly brighten up seeing the chief minister. The poor groom had arrived a few minutes earlier and his lifetime welcome ceremony is somewhat cut short by <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">Dikshit’s arrival. Even the priest chanting the mantra shifts focus from matrimonial dignitary to the ceremonial guest. She makes it up for the groom calling the photographer to click her with the ‘dulha raja’, who now sports a broad green. Cameras go clicking as rose petals are showered.
Done with a round of the pandal, she is back in the vehicle and back to business to be briefed on what else she needs to speak at her meeting. ‘Look at the cacophony which BJP has created with every leader from <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">Narendra Modi, Rajnath Singh, Sushma, <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">Jaitley and Gadkari blaring out of the radio promising to do what not to Delhi. <span data-style="border-bottom: 1px solid #0000FF !important;text-decoration:underline !important;color:#0000FF !important">Poor Harshvardhan is hardly heard. Never mind he is a good friend, would talk to him after 4 December,’ she chuckles as the cavalcade moves on.
On what gives her the confidence that she would spring another surprise, in a matter of fact manner she says, ‘My MLAs. It’s not just me who is fighting the election to retain Delhi for Congress but each of the candidates whom we have fielded. Jaitley talks about Congress facing double anti-incumbency in Delhi, he doesn’t know that there is a huge pro-incumbency at the MLA level.’ The cavalcade is back at her residence as an aide pushes the next day’s engagement for her approval. ‘I hope sometime has been kept for meetings in New Delhi,’ says Dikshit giving indications that she has a keen eye on the developments on her own seat.
The day is not yet over for her. A review meeting would now begin with her Lok Sabha member son Sandeep Dikshit joining with some other MLAs and ministers.
As I take leave, the aide in-charge of engagement informs that she would start meeting people next morning by eight and by then she would be through with the newspaper headlines. Who said a politician’s is a job to be envied?