SHIMLA: Himachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri is a journalist-turned-politician. Born on October 9, 1962, at Gondpur village in Haroli tehsil in Una district, he did a postgraduate diploma in public relations and advertising after M.Sc. (Mathematics). He is married to Simmi Agnihotri and has one daughter.
He worked as a senior correspondent in many newspapers for almost 15 years. He remained as a Member of Press Accreditation Committee of the Himachal government, the State Press Advisory Committee, the Press Gallery Committee State Legislative Assembly, and the Government Pahari Language Committee.
Besides, he was the General Secretary of the Press Club of Shimla, and the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee and the Media Cell HPCC Himachal Chairman.
Agnihotri was elected to the state Assembly in March 2003 for the first time, and re-elected in 2007, 2012, and 2017.
He also remained Chief Parliamentary Secretary and the Chairman of Housing Board from March 2003 to August 18, 2005.
He was the Industries Minister with additional charge of Labour and Employment, Parliamentary Affairs, Information and Public Relations from December 25, 2012, to December 20, 2017.
He was re-elected to the thirteenth Vidhan Sabha in 2017 and elected as Congress Legislature Party leader on January 2018.
He was also nominated as a Member of the Business Advisory Committee during this period.
Agnihotri was re-elected to the 14th Vidhan Sabha for the fifth term in December 2022 from the Haroli constituency and sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister on Sunday.