Who is Sukhvinder Sukhu? Some lesser known facts about the next Himachal CM

Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu took oath as the new Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh in Shimla today at around 1:50 pm . He 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, Sukhu has become the 15th Chief Minister of the hill state.

Here’s a quick recap of Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s political career.

Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (58) 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.

Sukhu was the only Congress politician to defy Virbhadra at a time when other leaders were following his orders. There was frequently a ferocious verbal battle between the two. Sukhu and Virbhadra used to argue frequently when Sukhu was the state PCC president and Virbhadra was the chief minister.

The then chief minister, Virbhadra Singh, had reached the high command and demanded to remove Sukhu as PCC president before 2017 assembly elections. However, high command had ignored Singh's request and stated unequivocally that state leadership would remain unchanged.

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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.