Born in Hamirpur district of Himachal Pradesh in a Rajput family to Captain Mahant Ram and Phulmu Devi on April 10, 1944, Prem Kumar Dhumal’s political career has been a long journey.

Starting as an assistant in the LIC, Dhumal later moved to teaching at university level before eventually moving to politics.

Holder of a degree in Law and a PG in English literature, Dhumal joined the Bharatiya Janata Party as a party worker and served many posts in the party and its youth wing. He served as state secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) from 1980-82; as vice president of the BJYM from 1982-85. He then moved to the party and served as general secretary from 1985-93 before being made the state BJP president in 1993.

Dhumal, 68, has been elected to the Lok Sabha three times – in 1989, 1991 and 2007 (bypolls) – from Hamirpur Parliamentary constituency. He has also served as a member on various Parliamentary Committees.

Dhumal was first elected to the Himachal Pradesh Assembly in 1998 from Bamsan and made the Chief Minister with the BJP coming to power. He won a re-election in 2003 but the BJP lost power this time around and he served as leader of the BJP legislature party till 2007.

In 2007, Dhumal contested in the Lok Sabha bypoll from Hamirpur and won but had to return to the state as Chief Minister for a second term after winning the state polls in December 2007.