Narendra Modi will have no impact on Delhi polls: Sheila Dikshit

Dismissing the hype surrounding Narendra Modi, Sheila Dikshit said he will not have any impact on the upcoming assembly polls in Delhi.

New Delhi: Dismissing the hype surrounding BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Wednesday said he will not have any impact on the upcoming assembly polls in the city.

The 75-year-old Chief Minister said people of Delhi are aware about BJP`s credentials and they are not going to be misled by the party. She, however, said it would be premature to comment whether Modi will be able to impact voters in the Lok Sabha polls next year. "I don`t think Modi will have any impact in the Assembly polls. But as a Prime Ministerial candidate when the Lok Sabha elections take place, that is when his real impact will be seen, not just now," Dikshit said. The BJP has been trying to bank on Modi`s "popularity" to recapture power in Delhi after a gap of 15 years. The party has put up hoardings across the city featuring Modi along with its Chief Ministerial candidate Harsh Vardhan. "The opposition has been trying to mislead people of Delhi on various issues. But I am confident the citizens in Delhi are not going to be misled. They know about our performance in the last 15 years," she said. Modi is likely to campaign in Delhi next month. In his rally here on September 29, Modi had launched a blistering attack on Dikshit, accusing her of shirking her responsibilities by passing the buck "up or down" and doing nothing to address problems of the city. He had described her as a "ribbon cutting" Chief Minister. Dikshit had retorted to Modi`s barb, saying ribbons are cut only when projects are finished and that his remarks "exposed" his ignorance about the city`s administrative structure.