New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday broke with tradition and named senior leader Sheila Dikshit as its chief ministerial candidate for elections in Uttar Pradesh.
Immediately after the announcement at a press conference, the 78-year-old for former chief minister of Delhi thanked the party High Command for the trust in her.
"I am totally confident we will come up with good results in Uttar Pradesh," Dikshit said.
There was no word from the Congress on whether party president Sonia Gandhi's daughter Priyanka would play a more active role in the UP polls, but Dikshit said she would formally request her.
For the Congress, it was a departure from tradition when they named a chief ministerial candidate ahead of a state poll. The decision was reportedly prompted by political strategist Prashant Kishor.
What worked for Dikshit was that she has connections with UP - her father-in-law is from Unnao - and that she is Brahmin, a community which the Congress is trying to woo in the state.
"What you have speculated for so long is true this time. Sheila Dikshit is the CM face for UP," senior leader Janardhan Dwivedi said at the press conference.
The announcement comes two days after the party named Raj Babbar as its president in the state which goes to polls in the first half of next year.
This is also a comeback for Dikshit who has been keeping a low profile after she was ousted as CM of Delhi in 2014.
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