Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu rides clean image, MLA and ground support to pip Virbhadra’s widow to Himachal CM post

Both challengers, Sukhu and Mukesh Agnihotri, remained patient, stating that the party high command decision would be supreme.

It is learnt that Sukhu had the support of 20 of the 39 Congress MLAs, while the combined support garnered by Pratibha and Mukesh Agnihotri fell short. Pratibha’s comments, raking legacy for the post, also divided opinion within the state unit and the high command, and became a factor in Pratibha being dropped.

The comments however established ground for rumours that her son, Vikramaditya, will be given the Deputy CM post, along with Agnihotri. Due to the small size of the state, the idea of having two Deputy CMs was dropped.

Pratibha Singh’s lobbying for the CM post, though, is likely to benefit Vikramaditya, as he is being considered for a position in the Cabinet.

Another reason that Sukhu became an important choice was his experience in the organisation. Sukhu was appointed chief of the state unit of the NSUI in 1989. He helmed the state unit of the Youth Congress from 1998 to 2008, got elected as a councillor twice (1992-2002) before entering the Vidhan Sabha as an MLA in 2003, and thereafter headed the state Congress committee between 2013 and 2019.

He also served important organisational positions when the Congress was in opposition and cemented the party’s base while the party was out of power.

While at loggerheads with the Virbhadra camp, Sukhu maintained a base of supporters and party workers. Even prior to the elections, he had a large entourage of workers as he made campaign visits.

Sukhu’s good relations with the high command in Delhi and the Gandhi family have also worked in his favour.

For Sukhu, the support of MLAs will make the initial teething easier for his term, but appointments to Cabinet and the bureaucracy will remain an important challenge.