He was sent by the Congress to Himachal in 1983 to replace the then tallest leader Ram Lal following large scale felling of forests.
The victory for the gritty leader, who holds a major sway in upper Himachal, has been more than just sweet as it came amidst corruption allegations against him. He is yet to clear his name in the CD controversy in which he and his wife Pratibha are facing charges.