Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu – a fighter who rose through the ranks to become Himachal CM

PTI, Dec 11, 2022, 4:44 PM IST

The son of a bus driver, Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu rose through the ranks – from student politics to municipality to Assembly – to carve out a reputation for himself in the Himachal Pradesh Congress dominated by party veteran Virbhadra Singh for over five decades.

Sukhu’s journey from running a milk counter at Chhota Shimla to becoming the chief minister is a reflection of his sustained hardwork, affability and firm conviction on various issues.

Sukhu, 58, a known detractor of Virbhadra Singh, was sworn in as the 15th chief minister of Himachal Pradesh on Sunday in a ceremony attended by senior party leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

He is the seventh person to hold the post in the state.

A four-time MLA from Nadaun in Hamirpur district, he was a relentless fighter and remained the party’s state unit president for a record six years from 2013 to 2019 despite being frequently at loggerheads with Virbhadra Singh, a six-time chief minister.

The old rivalry came to the fore again after the party wrested power from the BJP in the just-concluded assembly polls, with both Sukhu and Pratibha Singh staking claim to the chief minister’s post.

With the party bagging its first victory in the hill state without the charismatic presence of Virbhadra Singh, Sukhu’s swearing-in as chief minister makes it clear that the party is ready to move on.

Sukhu is the first Congress leader from Lower Himachal — comprising areas merged in Himachal in 1966 such as Nalagarh, Una, Hamirpur, Kangra and lower hills of Kullu — to occupy the top post. He is the second chief minister from Hamirpur district, after BJP’s Prem Kumar Dhumal.

The Nadaun MLA, who is considered close to Rahul Gandhi and was the Congress campaign committee head, was unanimously elected leader of the Congress Legislature Party on Saturday. That he enjoys the confidence of the party high command was clear when he was appointed chairman of the Congress election campaign committee and a large number of his supporters got party tickets, party insiders say.

During his tenure as the state Congress chief, he strengthened the organisation and his rapport with workers and legislators made him a strong contender for the chief minister’s post, they said.

The Congress wrested power from the BJP in the hill state winning 40 of the 68 assembly seats. The polling was held on November 12 and the results were declared Thursday. This was the first state election since the demise of Virbhadra Singh in July 2021.

Sukhu was the general secretary of the state unit of the Congress-affiliated National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) and later became the president of the student body.

He did his MA and LLB from Himachal Pradesh University. His father was a driver with the state transport corporation.

Rising from the grassroots, he was elected twice as councillor of Shimla Municipal Corporation.

He won the assembly election for the first time in 2003 from Nadaun, retained the seat in 2007 but was defeated in 2012 and won again in 2017 and 2022.