Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], December 11 (ANI): Congress leader Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu on Sunday took oath as the new Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh. Mukesh Agnihotri, former leader of the opposition, also took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh.

Governor RV Arlekar administered the oath of office to them at a formal function being organized at Ridge Maidan in Shimla on Sunday. The swearing-in ceremony of the new government in Himachal Pradesh was attended by top leaderships of Congress including President Mallikarjun Kharge, party leader Rahul Gandhi, and All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Priyanka Gandhi.
A four-time MLA, Sukhu, 58, is a former chief of Congress in the state and has been part of NSUI and Youth Congress.

He is a grassroots politician who has risen from the ranks and has wide organizational experience in the hill state. He was the party’s state unit president from 2013 to 2019 and spoke his mind even if it was not to the liking of the party’s tall leader Virbhadra Singh, a six-time Chief Minister.

Sukhu has been in favor of promoting and grooming younger Congress leaders in Himachal Pradesh. Affable and approachable, Sukhu has a wide network in the hill state due to his long years in the organization. He is a loyalist of the Gandhi family, and Sukhu belongs to a middle-class family. He was active in politics from his student days and fought elections as an NSUI candidate. He was president of NSUI and the Indian Youth Congress in the state.

He fought and won elections for Shimla Municipal Corporation. Sukhu won the assembly election for the first time in 2003 from Nadaun. He has become the second chief minister from Hamirpur district after BJP’s Prem Kumar Dhumal. Congress won the assembly polls in the state and got 40 seats.

Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday said that he is thankful to the Congress and Gandhi family for electing him as the Chief Minister. Sukhu, 58, lauded Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi after his election and said the party will fulfil its poll promises. He said the new government will “bring change”.

Sukhu said that he is happy that despite being from an ordinary family he will be the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh. “I am happy that I am going to be CM despite being from an ordinary family. I am thankful to the Congress party and the Gandhi family for giving me this opportunity. My mother never stopped me from being in politics. I have reached here today because of her blessings,” said Sukhu.

The party’s choice of Sukhu was however seen as a major setback to Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Pratibha Singh, who had openly raised slogans demanding that she should be made the Chief Minister.
On being asked about Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Pratibha Singh’s discontentment, Sukhu had said that there was no such discontentment. (ANI)

Cabinet will be formed after Vidhan Sabha session: Himachal Pradesh CM

New Delhi [India], December 15 (ANI): Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday said that the cabinet would be formed after the Vidhan Sabha session. “The cabinet will be formed after the Vidhan Sabha session,” Sukhu told reporters when asked about the state cabinet. “We had come to thank party chief Mallikarjun Kharge. All 40 of our MLAs and our state chief have also come. He gave us the mantra to serve the people. He also thanked the people of the state,” Himachal Pradesh CM said after meeting the party’s national president in Delhi.

Sukhu and state Congress president Pratibha Singh met with the party’s national president Mallikarjun Kharge in the national capital today. Earlier this week, Sukhu made numerous announcements in the first cabinet meeting.

Highlighting the implementation of 10 guarantees, Sukhu said that the old pension scheme (one of the key poll agendas) would be brought back. At his first cabinet meet on Monday a day after taking oath, Sukhu also brought up the rent and food expenses of MLAs. “We have decided that in Himachal Bhawan & Himachal Sadan, rent and food expenses for MLAs will be the same as for common people. Earlier, common people paid the full amount and MLAs got these facilities at subsidised rates, but that won’t happen anymore,” said CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

Sukhu on Sunday took oath as the new chief minister of Himachal Pradesh. Mukesh Agnihotri, former Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, also took oath as the deputy chief minister of the state. The swearing-in ceremony was attended by top leaders of Congress, including national president Mallikarjun Kharge, MP Rahul Gandhi and All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Priyanka Gandhi.
Congress won the Assembly polls in the state, bagging a total of 40 seats. (ANI)

Congress government will establish new dimensions of development in state: Himachal CM Sukhu

New Delhi [India], December 17 (ANI): Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday said the Congress government in the hill state will establish new dimensions of development in the coming five years. He was addressing a felicitation function organized by the Indian Youth Congress and National Students Union of India here to honour him. Sukhu was part of both Youth Congress and NSUI.

He called upon Youth Congress and NSUI to work hard with utmost devotion and discipline so that the Indian National Congress could regain its eminence in different states.

The Chief Minister also paid tributes to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on the occasion.
Sukhu said that all office-bearers and workers should give up despair and convey the policies of the Congress party to the masses with full energy and dedication.

He said that the future belongs to the Indian National Congress and everyone should learn from past defeats and move forward. “Today’s struggle will lay the foundation of a strong future of the Indian National Congress. Only those who have the ability to struggle can overcome challenges,” he said.
Sukhu said that it is the ideology of the Congress which has given a common worker the post of Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh and referred to his journey from a class representative of the college to chief of Congress in Himachal.

He said he had come to the offices of the Indian Youth Congress and the National Students Union of India to remember the beginning of his political career. He urged the youth to never forget their beginning and roots.

“In the coming five years, the Congress Government of Himachal Pradesh would establish new dimensions of development in the state. While the state government would fulfil all its promises, a transparent, sensitive and clean administration would be provided to the people,” the Chief Minister said. Sukhu also shared the memories of his political life on the occasion. (ANI)