The new chief minister is likely to take oath on Sunday.
The decision came a day after the newly-elected Congress MLAs passed a resolution authorising Congress high command to select the next leader of the legislature party. Here are the 5 things to know about the new chief minister.
- Sukhu, 58-year-old MLA from Nadaun in Hamirpur is the former Himachal Pradesh Congress chief and a four-term legislator.
- Sukhu is known to be extremely close to senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
- Ahead of the Himachal Pradesh elections, Sukhu headed the Congress campaign committee and the main face of it.
- Sukhu joined the Congress party when he was still a student. He eventually became the state president of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) and later became the chief of party State Youth Congress.
- After the party named him as the CM candidate, Sukhu said, “I was never in any race for any post and would not be in future. I am a Congress party worker. I never had longing for any post. Party has given me so much and to follow the party’s order is my duty."
Several leaders including state Congress chief Pratibha Singh, the wife of Virbhadra Singh, and leader of the opposition in the outgoing Assembly Mukesh Agnihotri were also in the race for the post of chief minister.
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.
Earlier, there were rumours that the All India Congress Committe (AICC) in-charge of Himachal Pradesh Rajeev Shukla and two observers Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel and former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda may fly to New Delhi and announce the CM face in the state.
