New Delhi: The narrative of Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, the 58-year-old Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, is a story not simply of humble beginnings resulting in political prominence. It is a noteworthy anomaly in Indian politics for the son of a driver, Sukhu, to ascend to the place of Chief Minister, particularly contemplating the privileged backgrounds of lots of his predecessors. As an illustration, his political adversary, the late Virbhadra Singh, a six-time Congress Chief Minister, hailed from a royal household in higher Himachal.
In distinction, Sukhu’s father, Rasil Singh, labored as a driver in Himachal Roadways, supporting a household of 4. Regardless of his strange roots, Sukhu’s hometown, Nadaun in Hamirpur district, witnessed his election as MLA in 2003, and subsequently in 2007, 2017, and 2022.
Nonetheless, Sukhu’s modest upbringing is just one side of his story, and remarkably, he has by no means instrumentalized it strategically in his political profession. His political journey commenced organically within the 1980s as a youth chief within the Nationwide Pupil Union of India (NSUI), the scholar wing of the Congress. He then served because the president of the Youth Congress for almost a decade.
A legislation graduate from Himachal College, Sukhu entered electoral politics as a councillor within the Shimla municipal physique in 1992, a place he held till 2002, earlier than becoming a member of the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha in 2003. His rise in politics is attributed to astuteness and perseverance, navigating the Congress dominated by Virbhadra on the time.
Selecting his hometown, Hamirpur, as his political battleground, Sukhu confronted the stronghold of one other political veteran, Prem Kumar Dhumal. Surviving the challenges posed by each leaders was a major achievement.
Sukhu’s pivotal function because the Himachal Congress president from 2013 to 2019 strengthened his affect inside the occasion and garnered public help. He adopted an issue-based narrative slightly than a confrontational method, sustaining prominence even after being changed by Virbhadra in 2019.
Submit the 2022 meeting election, Sukhu’s loyalty to the Gandhi household performed an important function in his elevation to the Chief Minister’s place. His background as an organizational determine, balancing the occasion’s pursuits and public sentiment, contributed to his favorable picture. Moreover, his Rajput id aligned with the electoral pattern in Himachal, the place most Chief Ministers, apart from one exception, belonged to the Rajput neighborhood. This custom continues with Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu on the helm.
