New Delhi: India's Congress party has named Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu as the next Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh. The decision comes after two days of intense lobbying and speculation. Five-time MLA Mukesh Agnihotri will be his deputy. Sukhu will take oath at 11am on Sunday.
A meeting of the Congress Legislature Party took place in Shimla where the decision of the Congress high command was announced.
Sukhu, a former president of the Himachal Pradesh Congress, is also a four-time MLA and is considered close to party leader Rahul Gandhi.
He, however, did not have a smooth working relationship with six-time Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, who died in July last year.
Until now, state Congress chief Pratibha Singh, the wife of Virbhadra Singh, and Leader of the Opposition in the outgoing assembly Mukesh Agnihotri had been angling for the Chief Minister’s post.
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.
The sources said Vikramaditya Singh, son of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, is likely to be given a big responsibility in the government.
They said Sukhu’s name was decided after consultations with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge who talked to members of the Gandhi family.
Congress had won the assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh winning 40 seats. The BJP won 25 seats.
