Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu takes oath as 15th CM of Himachal [Watch]

Congress veteran leader Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu (58) on December 11 took oath as the new Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh. Governor RV Arlekar administered the oath of office to him at a function organised at Ridge Maidan in Shimla.

Former leader of the opposition Mukesh Agnihotri also took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister of the hill state.

The swearing in ceremony was attended by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, party leader Rahul Gandhi, and All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Priyanka Gandhi.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel and BS Hooda also attended the swearing-in ceremony.

Editor's Choice: Who is Sukhvinder Sukhu? Some lesser known facts about the next Himachal CM

Watch the video here.

Sukhu was chosen the new Chief Minister by the Congress high command on December 10 during a CLP meeting held in the state, two days after the grand old party ousted the BJP by gaining 40 seats in the 68-member Assembly.

After taking the oath of the office, Sukhu has become the 15th Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh.

Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu started his political career as a member of Congress’s student wing - National Students' Union of India. He is a prominent Rajput face of the party in the hill state.

The 58-year-old politician has literally risen through the Congress ranks over the years. He served the party as NSUI state president from 1988 to 1995. After this, he became the state general secretary of Youth Congress in 1995.

Sukhu joined NSUI after taking admission in college and became a class representative. His dedication and work made him the general secretary and president of HPU's Student's Central Association. From 1999 to 2008, he remained the state president of Youth Congress.

Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu became an MLA in 2003, and remained in the position till 2007. In 2012, he lost the election but again won it in 2017 and 2022. When he was chosen as the president of the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee on January 8, 2013, while the late Virbhadra Singh was the chief minister, Sukhu gained a sizable following inside the Congress.

In 2017, the Sukhu was appointed as the campaign committee head, but the high command later replaced him with Virbhadra Singh.

After the Congress secured 40 seats in the Himachal Pradesh assembly elections, state president Pratibha Singh and Sukhu competed for the position of chief minister. Pratibha and her supporters opposed him till the last moment, but the 58-year-old politician managed to get himself elected as the Congress legislature party’s leader to become the 15th chief minister of the hill state.

Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, the son of a driver, was born on March 26, 1964, in Sera village, Hamirpur district. His father, Rasil Singh was a driver in Himachal Road Transport Corporation, Shimla and his mother is a housewife. Sukhu married to Kamlesh Thakur in 1998 and they both have two daughters.