Kapoor's appointment in the PMO just before Himachal Pradesh goes to the polls has a greater meaning, as till now the Prime Minister had mostly chosen candidates from his home state, Gujarat. Rising to the top rank is, however, not just pure luck. Kapoor's hard work and some out-of-the-box thinking have also played a great role. Former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal says Kapoor is gifted with outstanding administrative skills. "He has perfect stability in planning, drafting and executing new policies directly beneficial to the masses. He is a good choice for PMO and will prove to be an asset to Modiji.” Dhumal recalls an incident when Kapoor was Deputy Commissioner of Chamba—a district hit by militancy, mainly a spill-over of the Kashmir terror situation: “After I became Chief Minister for the first time in 1998, there was a massive terrorist attack. Kashmiri militants sneaked into our areas and massacred 35 people. On hearing that I had decided to visit the site, Kapoor quickly came and stood in front of my vehicle to stop me from taking a grave risk to go there, fearing that the militants could still be hiding in the area." Kapoor finally let Dhumal go, but not before taking due security precautions.