Former CM of Delhi Sheila Dikshit passes away due to cardiac arrest

New Delhi — India’s longest serving Chief Minister of Delhi Sheila Dikshit passed away at the age of 81 on Saturday afternoon following a cardiac arrest at Fortis Escorts Heart Institute. She was the three times elected Chief Minister of Delhi.

Dikshit was born on March 31 1938 in Kapurthala district of Punjab state to a Punjabi Khatri family. She graduated from Miranda House at the University of Delhi with a Master of Arts degree in History.

Dikshit was the longest serving Chief Minister of Delhi for a period of 15 years from 1998 to 2013. During the 2013 Delhi elections, she was defeated by Aam Admi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal.

Dikshit’s son Sandeep Dikshit is a former Member of Parliament of the 15th Lok Sabha from East Delhi.