Dikshit blames Maken for Delhi drubbing

New Delhi, Feb 12 (IANS) Congress leader Sheila Dikshit Thursday blamed party campaign chief Ajay Maken for the massive drubbing the party faced in Delhi assembly election and failed to win even one seat, noting the campaign was not aggressive.

"Maken was the Delhi campaign committee chairman. As such, he was responsible (for the loss in Delhi)," the three-time former chief minister said in an interview to news channel Times Now.

The Aam Admi Party bagged 67 seats in the 70-member assembly Tuesday, while the Bharatiya Janata Party got just three seats.

Dikshit said the Congress was not "vociferous" in publicizing the development work it had done for Delhi and the message did not go out "effectively" enough.

On being asked if the leadership of vice president Rahul Gandhi be reconsidered in view of the sixth election that the party has lost under his watch, she said he couldn't be held responsible for losses in assembly elections.

"The elections in Delhi were a state election. So how can you blame Rahul Gandhi? He is not directly responsible. It's the local leaders in the state, the presidents of the state Congress committee units are entrusted with the work of carrying on the election in the state," said Dikshit.