Is it Shinde time already?

Ram Babu Sharma is the new president of Delhi Pradesh Congress Comgress Committee. Who on earth is Ram Babu Sharma and why on earth should he figure in this blog?

Well, till a couple of days ago, Sharma was a municipality-level Congress leader. Today he is the symbol of a long Congress tradition: No leader shall be strong enough to challenge the party’s central leadership or the Family. And Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit was apparently getting bigger than the party, in Delhi that is.

Guess what Ram Babu Sharma did on the day he was elected? He said the state government has to be accountable to the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee, that is: him. He wants to know what the government has done, is doing and will do. And he thanked Jagdish Tytler, someone who has publicly expressed his respect or the lack of it for Sheila.

An adversary as party chief is not new for Sheila Dikshit. She has seen Subhash Chopra, Chaudhry Prem Singh et al.

But Ram Babu Sharma is different in that he comes at a very inauspicious time for Dikshit. And we are not talking about her fractured foot.

Difficult times lie ahead for the Sheila factor. Her beta political Ajay Maken has turned into her bete noir; sworn enemy Tytler has long been sworn in as a Union Cabinet minister and purana Madan Lal Khurana is the new man in the good old Opposition BJP.

Is Congress’ central leadership cutting Sheila to size? Is she no longer on Sonia’s favourites list? Is Sheila the next addition to the long list of charismatic politicians sacrificed at the altar of party interest?

Sheila Dikshit easily connects with the new Delhiite who in turn relates with her more than anyone else. She deserves credit for the Congress' success in beating anti-incumbency, twice.

Popularity is about perceptions. She is perceived as a caring and honest-hearted leader. Truth may be debatable. But her being a woman and a sophisticated one at that does help her and in turn the party.

So why would the party downsize her? because old habits die hard. But if you need a recent example, you can look at Sushil Kumar Shinde. The dalit leader revived the party in Maharashtra after taking over as chief minister. His predecessor, Vilasrao Deshmukh, was tainted by the Telgi scam and the party's image had taken a dive.

Shinde worked hard often racing against time to turn the tide in favour of the Congress and its partners. They got absolute majority in the Assembly. He was the natural choice for chief minister. But politics abhors nature. And guess who was chosen: the same Vilasrao Deshmukh. Shinde was made the Andhra Pradesh governor. In other words, "good job done. Now retire."

Extremely popular and progressive, S.M. Krishna did not win a clear majority but won enough seats to install a Congress chief minister in Karnataka. The Congress' leadership chose Dharam Singh. Krishna was becoming an icon. And in the Congress they need just one icon.

Sharad Pawar was being termed the Maratha satrap, and he began believing he was an icon. The Congress had no place for him. There’s no dearth of examples. Sheila was becoming this leading lady, a small satrap.

Ram Babu Sharma enjoys support in his East Delhi Assembly segment called Rohtas Nagar. Sheila’s son is an MP from East Delhi and whenever the next Lok Sabha election takes place, Sharma can prove to be more harmful than an average neighbourhood halwai. Sharma is a sweetmeat trader. Sweets tempt the tastebuds, but aren’t good for health.

Sheila Dikshit has entered what one can call "Danger" zone. She has to tread carefully. Very carefully. Because Shinde time may be around the corner.