Himachal: Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu takes oath as state CM, Mukesh Agnihotri his deputy
Sukhwinder, a three-time MLA from the Nadaun constituency in the state, successfully managed to emerge victorious out of three candidates who were in the fray for the chief ministerial post after getting the majority in the 68-member Assembly by winning 40 seats.
- Dec 11, 2022,
- Updated Dec 11, 2022, 4:55 PM IST
Congress leader Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu on December 11 took oath as the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh at a swearing ceremony in the state's Shimla.
Besides Sukhwinder, Congress another leader Mukesh Agnihotri was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister of the state.
During the ceremony, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi along with other party leaders were also present.
Earlier, Sukhwinder was named leader of the opposition of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP).
Sukhwinder, a three-time MLA from the Nadaun constituency in the state, successfully managed to emerge victorious out of three candidates who were in the fray for the chief ministerial post after getting the majority in the 68-member Assembly by winning 40 seats.
Mukesh Agnihotri, the Leader of the Opposition, was the other leader who was thought to be a candidate for the position in addition to Pratibha Singh.
Over time, the 58-year-old leader has amassed a following among party members and locals.
With his leadership of the election campaign committee for the assembly elections, he demonstrated his position within the party.
Party observers such as Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda, and Shukla met Himachal Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on December 10 to hand over a list of MLAs showing the strength to form the government.
Sukhwinder who began his career in student politics came to the limelight and later managed to grab the position of party state unit chief from 2013 to 2019.
Before joining state politics, he twice served as councilor of the Municipal Corporation of Shimla from 1992 and 2002.
On the other hand, journalist-turned-politician Mukesh Agnihotri, retained his stronghold Haroli in Una district, the seat which he earlier represented thrice -- 2007, 2012, and 2017.
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