Despite ruling out his name from the fray for the Chief Ministerial post in Himachal Pradesh, Congress leader Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s name has been finalised by the party leadership.

Amid the high-octane political drama in the hill state, the party High Command finally approved the name of its ‘discipline soldier’ – Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. Notably, this decision by the grand old party’s leadership is likely to upset the family and supporters of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh. 

It is pertinent to note that Sukhu’s name for the next Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister has been finalised after he opted out of the race for the Chief Minister’s chair, stating that he is a ‘disciplined soldier’ of Congress and will abide by the party’s decision. “I was never in the race, neither yesterday nor today nor even in the future. I am a Congress worker and have always worked as a party worker. I have never desired a post,” he said.

Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu: The next Himachal CM 

Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, a three-time MLA from Nadaun in Hamirpur district and the head of the Congress’s election committee, has emerged as the winner of the ongoing race for the post of Chief Minister in Himachal Pradesh. 

Like many other political leaders across the country, Sukhu too began his career by getting involved in student politics. Sukhu is a lawyer by education and emerged through the ranks of the Congress wing National Student Union of India (NSUI) into state politics. Starting from student politics, Sukhu soon rose to the position of Congress’ state unit chief in 1989. Notably, during the period 1998-2008, he also served as the president of the state Youth Congress.

Following his stretch in Youth politics, Sukhu became the Secretary of the Pradesh Congress Committee in 2008. He was then made the state president of the party making his presence quite visible. Since working in the state of Himachal Pradesh for over 30 years now, Sukhu has developed massive support from locals and the party cadre.