New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday remembered Sheila Dikshit as 'beloved daughter of Congress' and said that he is 'devasted' to hear about her death.


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Sheila Dikshit, the three-time Chief Minister of Delhi, died at the age of 81 due to cardiac arrest. She was admitted to the hospital in the morning in a critical condition. 


"I'm devastated to hear about the passing away of Sheila Dikshit ji, a beloved daughter of the Congress party, with whom I shared a close personal bond," read Rahul's tribute to the veteran leader. 


"My condolences to her family and the citizens of Delhi, whom she served selflessly as a 3- term CM, in this time of great grief," he added.



Meanwhile, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, who was in Sonebhadra when Sheila Dikshit passed away, said that she is 'deeply saddened by the news' and told news agency ANI, "She loved me. Whatever she did for Delhi and the country, people will remember it. She was a big leader of party, her contribution towards party, politics of nation and especially to Delhi, is immense."



Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also expressed shock over Sheila Dikshit's demise and said, "In her death the country has lost a dedicated Congress leader of the masses. People of Delhi will always remember her contribution to Delhi's development during her tenure as CM for 3 terms."



The Congress party's Twitter handle posted, "We regret to hear of the passing of Smt Sheila Dikshit. Lifelong congresswoman and as three-time CM of Delhi she transformed the face of Delhi. Our condolences to her family and friends. Hope they find strength in this time of grief."



Sheila Dikshit was the longest-serving chief minister of Delhi and was elected for three consecutive terms between 1998 and 2013. She was appointed the Governor of Kerala in 2013, but she resigned within six months. 


She took charge as Delhi Congress chief in January 2019, ahead of the Lok Sabha election. She had contested the polls from North East Delhi constituency. However, she was defeated by Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Manoj Tiwari.