Who is Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Himachal Pradesh's new Chief Minister

By Team Newsable | First Published Dec 10, 2022, 5:42 PM IST

Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, a four-term lawmaker and the previous president of the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee, is close to party leader Rahul Gandhi. He is a lawyer by education and emerged through the ranks of the Congress wing National Student Union of India (NSUI).

The Congress's Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (58), who headed the party's campaign committee in Himachal Pradesh, has been appointed the new Chief Minister. Sukhu represents Nadaun in the Hamirpur district as an MLA and will take the oath on Sunday, December 11, 2022. The five-time MLA Mukesh Agnihotri will be his Deputy Chief Minister.

After the announcement, while talking to the media, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said, "Mukesh Agnihotri, the Deputy Chief Minister designate, and I will work as a team. I began my political career when I was 17 years old. I'll never forget what the Congress party has done for me."

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Sukhu previously served as the state party's leader. He was appointed head of the Congress Campaign Committee for the Assembly elections.

Sukhu, a four-term lawmaker and the previous president of the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee, is close to party leader Rahul Gandhi. He is a lawyer by education and emerged through the ranks of the Congress wing National Student Union of India (NSUI). From college to a full-time political career, he was president of the state Youth Congress in the 2000s. He was replaced as state unit chief in 2019 by Kuldeep Rathore, reportedly in a compromise against factionalism.

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The reports claim that he had a reputation for criticising Virbhadra Singh, a six-time chief minister, and veteran of the Congress.

By capturing 40 of the 68 assembly seats, the Congress ousted the BJP in the mountainous state. The results were announced on Thursday after the election polls closed on November 12. The wife of Virbhadra Singh, Pratibha Singh, the head of the state's Congress, and Mukesh Agnihotri, the leader of the opposition in the outgoing Assembly, was among the contenders for the role of the chief minister.

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