Reluctant Mukesh Agnihotri gives in

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Shimla, December 10

A majority of the MLAs and the Congress high command threw their weight behind Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu for the Chief Minister’s post, leaving reluctant and unhappy Mukesh Agnihotri, a five-time MLA from Haroli in Una, with no choice but to accept the Deputy CM’s post.

Agnihotri (60), who is one-term senior to Sukhu, has never seen eye to eye with him, a fact which is an open secret. Agnihotri, a journalist-turned politician, was a strong contender for the CM’s post and an obvious choice by virtue of his being the CLP leader in the outgoing Assembly.

However, he failed to secure ticket for many of his loyalists, resulting in his lagging behind in the number game. Both Sukhu and Agnihotri hail from the Hamirpur Lok Sabha seat though from different districts of Hamirpur and Una.

Agnihotri, known to be a firebrand leader who hit out at the BJP, especially CM Jai Ram Thakur, failed to garner the support of majority MLAs. Having remained a powerful minister, in-charge of the Industries portfolio in the Virbhadra regime, he was a frontrunner for the post, but caste factor, being a Brahmin, and lack of support from Pratibha Singh, weakened his case.

Pratibha was seeking the chief ministership for herself. It was only after she was told that this would not be possible that she floated the name of Agnihotri and Rajinder Rana, MLA from Sujanpur, who had created political history by defeating BJP CM face PK Dhumal in the 2017 polls. However, by that time, it was too late as scales had tilted in favour of Sukhu and many MLAs even from the Pratibha camp deviating towards him.

Journalist-turned-politician

• Date of birth: October 9, 1962
• Family: Wife, Dr Simmi Agnihotri, is a professor in HP University, has one daughter, a law graduate
• Educational qualification: Postgraduate diploma in Public Relations and Advertising, M.Sc (Mathematics)
• Journalistic Career: Was senior correspondent in Jansatta for 10 years in Shimla.
• Political career: Won the first election from Haroli in 2003, a feat he repeated in 2007, 2012, 2017 and 2022
• Remained Industries and Information and Broadcasting Minister from 2012 to 2017. Also remained Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS) from March 2003 to August 2005