Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Sunday created history by becoming the first Congress Chief Minister of the Hill State hailing from lower Himachal Pradesh thus ending the dominance of the Upper Shimla region. In the process, he also got past obstacles put in his way by the PCC Chief and former CM, the late Virbhadra Singh’s wife, Pratibha Singh, who had staked her claim for the top position on the ground that the mandate was also because the electorate paid their homage to her husband. The Congress High Command took several factors into consideration before giving the go ahead to Sukhu and while overlooking Pratibha’s repeated pleas, decided to also appoint senior leader, Mukesh Agnihotri as the first deputy CM of the State. The Sukhu, Mukesh combination shall have to overcome several challenges in order to ensure the smooth running of the government and their first test would be when the new Cabinet gets constituted. What seemed to work in Sukhu’s favour was his long association with the party’s organization; he has headed the state units of NSUI, Youth Congress and the PCC and the support he enjoyed from the elected MLAs. In addition, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who had extensively campaigned in the polls, threw her weight behind Sukhu. Incidentally she along with Rahul Gandhi, Malikarjun Kharge and many top party leaders such as Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Bhupesh Baghel, Ashok Gehlot, Anand Sharma, Mukul Wasnik, KC Venugopal and Rajiv Shukla, attended the oath taking ceremony, to send a strong message of party unity. Mukesh Agnihotri had several supporters amongst senior leaders. However, in a state where the Rajput community dominates, Sukhu was preferred and Agnihotri, a Brahmin, had to settle for the second post. Pratibha’s claims were overlooked because of multiple reasons. She is a Member of Parliament from Mandi and had she been chosen, the party would have had to face two by-elections, one in Mandi and the second from where she would have contested for the Assembly. This was not considered advisable at all. Secondly, Pratibha Singh scored an own goal by inviting some MLAs to the Holly Lodge, once the ancestral home of her husband in Jakhu. However, the numbers were not adequate and the message which emerged was that majority of MLAs were not willing to support her candidacy. Thirdly, she over emphasized on the contribution of her late husband in the Congress victory, which did not go to too well with many top leaders. There were also unconfirmed reports that were doing the rounds that a former Congress leader, now with the BJP, tried to broker a deal between her and the BJP. However, as per these reports, the Prime Minister did not give his consent for such a move. On their part, many of Pratibha Singh’s supporters deny that there was any such attempt at all. Sukhu’s elevation as the Chief Minister was anticipated by most people and they were confident that he was best placed to take up the assignment. His is a real success story; born in the family of a State transport bus driver, he has literally risen from the ranks. At one point of time, he ran a milk vend in Chota Shimla to augment his income. His and Mukesh’s appointments, would impact the BJP’s diminishing hold over the Hamirpur, Una and Kangra region in particular. The swearing in was attended by a large number of people, many of whom travelled long distances to be present. It brought some cheer in the Congress camp and the electorate has amply demonstrated that the tradition of electing a different government in the state continues for the time being. The Congress, Sukhu, Mukesh and the new government needs to be congratulated and provided some time to prove themselves. This was the first election which was held where the State stalwart, Virbhadra Singh was not there to lead from the front; he passed away last year.