Sajjan celebrates emergence of a new power centre

Hundreds of Sajjan loyalists from Outer Delhi came all the way to Talkatora Road to watch Chopra take over as the new PCC chief. Chopra, not known as a Dikshit loyalist, appears a natural ally for Sajjan. Or at least, that’s what the Sajjan camp thinks.

While the rhetoric at Chopra’s coronation ceremony at the DPCC on Thursday was politically correct, the event was dominated by Sajjan and it selectively forgot Dikshit. It was understandable as most of the 5,000-strong crowd belonged to the block and district committees of 22 Assembly segments of Outer Delhi, Sajjan’s stronghold.

"We now have an alternative, there is someone who can listen to the other side of the storyalso," said a Sajjan loyalist at the Delhi Congress office on Talkatora Road. "The monopoly has ended," he added.

Returning disappointed with the lessons from his `political understanding’ with Dikshit, Sajjan is in a hurry to assert. That may not be the case, however, with Chopra, soon after gaining the goodwill of Sonia Gandhi.

Sajjan has moved fast to capture what could be his last card for re-emerging in Delhi. He is named in cases relating to 1984 Sikh riots, from which his rival Jagdish Tytler recently emerged unscathed. The deterioration of his equation with Dikshit had demoralised his loyalists into a political stand-still.

Thursday’s show of strength clearly displayed his relief in getting out of his shadow boxing bout with Dikshit which began when she took over as Chief Minister.

The last such confrontation took place during the January by-elections when everything – from party vehicles to the cadre – was divided between Dikshit loyalists for Hauz Khas and Sajjan’s men for Nangloi Jat.

Butthere was no room for Sajjan to outmaneuver Dikshit as she held sway, holding both the posts of DPCC president and the Chief Minister. The monopoly was so complete that despite a tough fight and a close finish, Congress’ victory in Nangloi Jat could not translate in Sajjan’s favour. And now his camp thinks that their leader has a partner with whom he can jointly fight the Chief Minister.