Shimla: Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu will be the next chief minister of Himachal Pradesh, while Mukesh Agnihotiri will be his deputy.
Announcing the decision of Congress high command, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel said the oath-taking ceremony will take place on Sunday morning.
There were rumours earlier that All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of Himachal Rajeev Shukla along with two observers Baghel and former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda may fly to New Delhi and announce the CM’s name in the Capital.
As was the case with previous states, there were multiple candidates who were in the race for CM’s post. Mandi MP and state party president Pratibha Singh was being considered by many as the frontrunner, while Leader of Opposition in outgoing assembly Mukesh was also in fray.
However, Pratibha, the widow of former CM Virbhadra Singh, lost out to Sukhu as most legislators were of the view that the CM should be from among the MLAs.
Sukhu, who kept a low profile after Congress won 40 seats in the 68-strong Assembly, told ANI he was never in any ‘race’.
The 58-year-old Sukhu, a four-time MLA from Nadaun in Hamirpur district, is from a humble background, being the son of a Road Transport Corporation driver, reported NDTV.
In his younger days, Sukhu used to run a milk counter at Chhota Shimla before acquiring a degree in law.
The first Himachal CM from lower Himachal, Sukhu is considered close to Rahul Gandhi and was the head of Congress’ campaign committee.
Sukhu rose through the ranks, starting from Congress’ National Student Union of India (NSUI).
As an activist at Himachal Pradesh University in Shimla, Sukhu led the NSUI state unit in late 1980s.
He went on to become president of state Youth Congress in the early 2000s.
Though he hailed from another district, he won the Shimla municipal election twice, before being appointed secretary of the state unit in 2008, and eventually its president.
In 2019, he was replaced as state unit chief by Kuldeep Rathore as damage control against factionalism.
