Sheila Dikshit takes oath as Kerala Governor

Thiruvananthapuram: Former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit on Tuesday took over as the governor of Kerala at the Raj Bhavan here.

The 75-year-old Dikshit was administered the oath by Kerala High Court Chief Justice Dr Manjula Chellur.

A group of well-wishers of Dikshit, including her family members and former Cabinet colleagues, were present at the occasion. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and his Cabinet colleagues were also present.

She replaces Nikhil Kumar, a former Delhi Police chief, who has held the post since March 2013. Kumar resigned to contest in upcoming Lok Sabha polls from Aurangabad seat in Bihar.

Dikshit was appointed Governor of Kerala on March 04, within three months of her defeat in the recent Delhi Assembly polls. She was appointed to the post following Kumar's resignation.

Dikshit served as Delhi's chief minister from 1998 to 2013 before the Congress was crushed in the 2013 Assembly polls, only securing eight seats in the 70-member Assembly. She herself lost to Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal by over 20,000 votes. She has also represented the Kannauj Parliamentary constituency in Uttar Pradesh between 1984 and 1989.

Kejriwal, who succeeded Dikshit as chief minister, has since resigned over the Jan Lokpal Bill issue.