Senior Congress leader Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu will be the new chief minister of Himachal Pradesh while Mukesh Agnihotri, the leader of the opposition in the outgoing Assembly, will be his deputy, the party announced on Saturday.
Sukhu, who headed the Congress campaign committee in the state, was elected the Congress Legislature Party leader and take oath as the chief minister on Sunday.
“I am thankful to Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and the people of the state. Our government will bring change. It is my responsibility to fulfill the promises we made to the people of Himachal Pradesh. We have to work for the development of the state,” Sukhu told reporters.
According to reports, Agnihotri and state Congress president Pratibha Singh were in the race for the CM post, but the high command cleared Sukhu's name.
Sukhu, the former party state chief and a third-time MLA from Nadaun, reportedly has the support of at least 25 legislators.
In their meeting on Friday evening, the newly-elected MLAs had unanimously passed a resolution authorising party president Mallikarjun Kharge to pick the legislature party leader, who will be the next chief minister.
The Congress wrested power from the BJP in the hill state winning 40 of the 68 assembly seats. The polling was held on November 12 and the results were declared Thursday.
Intense lobbying continued for the chief minister's post on Saturday. From morning itself, Congress MLAs made a beeline to Cecil Hotel in Shimla where the party's central observers—Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda—and AICC in-charge for Himachal Pradesh Rajeev Shukla have put up.