Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, a self-made leader

A firebrand leader who rose from the grassroots, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu is at the pinnacle of his 40-year-old political career, as the Congress chose him over a political dynasty to lead Himachal Pradesh for the next five years.

For Sukhu, the Chief Ministership would mean that he emerges on top in Hamirpur, his home district that is also the seat of former BJP Chief Minister PK Dhumal and his Union Minister-son Anurag Thakur. This Assembly election saw Sukhu ensuring that Congress won four out of five seats from the district while relegating BJP to zero.

Son of a bus driver and one who sold milk in younger days to sustain his family, the now 58-year-old with a post graduation and law degree rose in his life with hard work and political astuteness. With no famed pedigree, his hard work and political astuteness made him a leader who cannot be ignored in the hill-state with well-entrenched leaders.

Read | Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu: A fighter who rose up the ranks

One who never liked to play second fiddle to anyone, Sukhu took on the late Virbhadra Singh, a multi-time Chief Minister, relentlessly within the party. Sukhu’s organisational and political skills saw him being chosen as Himachal Congress president in 2013 at the age of 49 and he was in the hot seat for six years when Singh was still holding sway in the party.

Never a pushover, Sukhu was chosen as chairman of Congress campaign committee this time and he used all his organisational experience to ensure that the party emerges on top of the chart. Working closely with Vidya Stokes and Sukh Ram, who were Singh's bete noire, he learnt the ropes of politics much early.

Plunging into politics in his teens, he became the Himachal NSU(I) president in 1988 and held on to the post for seven years. He became Youth Congress General Secretary in 1995 and became state president in 1998 and stayed for ten years. Sukhu remembers that Rajiv Gandhi made him the NSU(I) president while Sonia Gandhi made him Youth Congress president and Himachal Congress chief.

Considered close to Rahul Gandhi, Sukhu never shied away from expanding his political space. He shifted base from Hamirpur to Shimla during his college days where he indulged in student politics and made a mark. He did not immediately return to his home district but continued in Shimla fighting municipal polls and winning it twice.

As he decided to graduate to the bigger league, he returned to his roots and fought from Nadaun in Hamirpur. He was elected four times as MLA from Nadaun. If Mukesh Agnihotri, a journalist-turned-politician, and Pratibha Singh, who were the other contenders for the Chief Minister's post, were considered Virbhadra's proteges, Sukhu was a self-made leader though he had the blessings of leaders like Stokes and Sukh Ram.

Congress sources said caste equation was at the centre of Sukhu's selection as Agnihotri, a Brahmin, threw his hat in the ring. Barring BJP's Shanta Kumar, Himachal has always had a Thakur at the helm, and Sukhu is no exception. Also Agnihotri is not an organisation man like Sukhu and that his influence is limited to Una in the state.

Ramesh C Chauhan, Professor at the Department of Political Sciences at the Himachal Pradesh University, said that Sukhu’s elevation is keeping in mind the interests of all factions in the party. “The party has done a balancing act, keeping in mind 2024 Lok Sabha elections and with an intent to keep all the factions together,” he said.