Once dubbed as an "outsider" by even sections within her own party, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has demonstrated her popularity and prowess as she spearheaded Congress back to power in Delhi for the third consecutive time in an extraordinary feat.

The 71-year-old stands taller as a leader than ever before as she created a record of sorts by becoming the first Congress Chief Minister to retain power for the third term.

Congress' hat-trick electoral victory in Delhi bears testimony to able leadership of Dikshit who beat challenges posed by her detractors and anti-incumbency besides keeping BJP at bay.

She has proved, with her charisma and 10-year governance, that she is the unmatched leader of the Congress in the national capital leaving her detractors red-faced.

Born in a non-political family in Kapurthala district on March 31, 1938, Dikshit, eldest of three daughters, was exposed to politics after she married Vinod Dikshit, an IAS officer and son of former union minister and governor Uma Shankar Dikshit.

She received her primary education at Delhi's Convent of Jesus and Mary school and graduated from Miranda House, Delhi University and obtained a post-graduation degree in History.

First elected to the Lok Sabha in 1984 from Kannauj Parliamentary Constituency of Uttar Pradesh, she served as a Minister under Rajiv Gandhi first as the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and later as a Minister of State in the Prime Minister's office.

With acumen in administrative and legislative issues, Dikshit got involved herself in politics in a big way after the 1969 split in Congress. Faced with one of the biggest challenges of her life, Indira Gandhi trusted only a handful of her supporters, including Uma Shankar Dikshit.

As her father-in-law's workload increased manifold in the wake of this development, Sheila stepped in to assist him.

While managing Uma Shankar Dikshit's affairs, Sheila's potential was noticed by Indira Gandhi. Impressed by her work, Gandhi nominated Sheila as a member of the Indian delegation to the UN Commission on status of women.

She served as Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting in Rajiv Gandhi's Cabinet between 1985-89 but was in brief hibernation after losing Lok Sabha elections in 1989 from Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh.

The Congress sprang a surprise in 1998 when it made her the president of faction-ridden Delhi Congress and then the Chief Minister. Her detractors attacked her calling her an "outsider" who would not last long in Delhi.

However, after 10 years of being in power, she has only grown stronger and taller as a leader as has been testified by the popular mandate the Congress got under her leadership and for her governance.

Riding on the twin-plank of governance and development, she proved futile all the attacks and criticism against her from within and outside Congress as she led the party to victory almost single-handedly.

While the BJP unleashed a battery of national leaders to campaign for party candidates in the polls, Dikshit was the only star campaigner for the party though party chief Sonia Gandhi and young leader Rahul Gandhi addressed two public meetings in favour of the party candidates.