Chandigarh: Harjinder Singh Dhami, Shiromani Akali Dal’s (SAD) candidate, has been re-elected president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) for a fifth consecutive time period, in a lift to SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal forward of subsequent week’s Tarn Taran bypoll.

Of the 136 votes polled within the election held Monday, Dhami acquired 117 votes, beating the breakaway Akali Dal faction’s Mithu Singh Kahneke, who acquired 18 votes. One vote was declared invalid.

Kahneke, an SGPC member from Barnala, was the candidate of the newly fashioned Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjeet) led by Giani Harpreet Singh, former jathedar of the Akal Takht. Kahneke had turned insurgent two years in the past, alleging misappropriation of SGPC funds.

Monday’s election was essential for the Akalis because it was held amid a troublesome multiple-cornered bypoll contest for the panthic (spiritual) meeting seat of Tarn Taran on 11 November. Aam Aadmi Social gathering (AAP) MLA Dr Kashmir Singh Sohal’s dying on 27 June necessitated the byelection.

The SGPC, additionally known as the mini parliament of the Sikhs, manages all gurdwaras in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh. A vital energy centre in Punjab politics, it holds elections yearly to pick out its head from among the many members. For the reason that majority of SGPC members owe their allegiance to the SAD, these elections are usually a cakewalk for the Akali candidate.

Nevertheless, final yr, some Akali Dal leaders broke away from the get together, difficult SAD president Sukhbir Badal’s management, resulting in the creation of the breakaway faction, the SAD (Punar Surjeet), in August this yr.

The insurgent leaders embrace Bibi Jagir Kaur, Gurpartap Singh Wadala, Adesh Partap Singh Kairon and sitting MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali.

Congratulating Dhami for the victory, Badal instructed media individuals Tuesday that this was the victory of the true panthic forces in opposition to “those that had been propped by the centre and the intelligence businesses” in Punjab to disrupt peace within the state. “SGPC members have fought in opposition to the may of those businesses,” he stated.

Badal was hitting out at Giani Harpreet Singh, who has usually confronted allegations of “closeness” with the BJP.

Dhami expressed his gratitude to the Akal Purakh (Supreme Lord God), Badal, the get together management, and all SGPC members, for re-announcing his identify for the put up of president.

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Tarn Taran bypoll

SAD has introduced ‘Principal’ Sukhwinder Kaur Randhawa as its candidate for the upcoming bypoll. The insurgent faction has determined to help Mandeep Singh, the candidate introduced by the unconventional Akali Dal Waris Punjab De (WPD).

Mandeep is the elder brother of jailed Sandeep Singh, also called Sunny, who’s dealing with trial within the 2022 homicide case of Shiv Sena (Taksali) chief Sudhir Suri in Amritsar. Sunny can also be an accused within the deadly assault on retired police inspector Suba Singh in Patiala Jail.

Aside from the SAD (WPD) and SAD (Punar Surjeet), Mandeep Singh additionally has the backing of different radical Sikh our bodies, together with the Sikh Youth Federation (Bhindranwala), Simranjit Singh Mann’s Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), and the All India Sikh Pupil Federation (AISSF).

Although the panthic vote is predicted to be sharply divided, Dhami’s victory will ship a transparent message to Sikh voters that the panthic management is clearly standing with Sukhbir Badal.

The SGPC presidential election outcomes have strengthened Badal’s management over the SGPC in addition to his personal get together. Below fixed assault for the reason that Akalis went out of energy in 2017, he has been the favorite whipping boy of Akali rebels, who’ve usually pinned the blame of collective errors solely on his shoulders.

After a drubbing within the parliamentary elections final yr, the Akali Dal insurgent group launched a full-fledged assault on Badal and complained in opposition to him to the Akal Takht.

In August final yr, the Akal Takht had discovered him responsible of non secular misconduct in having introduced down the place of the Sikhs and declared him a ‘tankhaiya’, or spiritual sinner.

In December, the Akal Takht jathedar and Giani Harpreet Singh, the then jathedar of Dam Dama Sahib, ordered Badal’s elimination because the get together’s head as “punishment” for the “sins” that he had been held responsible of getting dedicated in opposition to the Sikh neighborhood. Giani Harpreet Singh was sacked by the SGPC in February.

Badal supplied to resign following the Akal Takht’s verdict and the get together accepted his resignation in January, however he was re-elected as the top by get together delegates in April regardless of opposition from the insurgent group, who termed his election a violation of the Akal Takht’s verdict.

‘Mini parliament’ of Sikhs

The SGPC is a statutory physique created below the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925, a fruits of the gurdwara reform motion led by the Akalis within the early Twenties to free the gurdwaras from the management of corrupt mahants (hereditary managers of gurdwaras).

Below the Act, the SGPC is designed to be a democratically elected physique tasked with administering and managing historic and different gurdwaras. On the core of the SGPC are 170 members elected by Sikhs from clearly outlined geographical constituencies.

Though SGPC members’ elections are presupposed to be held each 5 years, they’ve been carried out irregularly. The final SGPC elections had been held in 2011. The delay in elections has come below criticism from varied political events, together with the Congress and the AAP, in energy in Punjab, up to now few years.

These events allege that not having elections advantages the SAD because it continues to have management over Sikh establishments and wield authority in politics utilizing these establishments regardless of being out of energy in Punjab for the previous 10 years.

Any baptised Sikh can stand for the polls to turn out to be part of the SGPC. Each Sikh grownup in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh with unshorn hair (keshdhari) is eligible to vote.

Nevertheless, following litigation by sehajdharis (Sikhs who had shorn hair, which is in opposition to one of many primary tenets of Sikhism) who wished voting rights, these elected members began functioning solely in 2016. Their time period resulted in 2021.

The SGPC elections are carried out by the centre’s Gurdwara Election Fee. Retired Excessive Court docket decide S.S. Saron was appointed because the Gurudwara election commissioner by the Centre in 2020 for the conduct of elections.

The method of updating electoral rolls resulted in April this yr, however the course of was challenged by the SGPC, amongst others, within the Punjab and Haryana Excessive Court docket and the method has been stayed. Until the election of the brand new members, the identical set of members elected in 2011 will proceed.

Yearly, these members elect a president, who in flip chooses an government physique. Normally, these elections happen in November. The SGPC president, an 11-member government physique, and workplace bearers are liable for the day-to-day working of the committee.

Aside from the administration of gurdwaras, the SGPC additionally takes up Sikh points with the federal government in India and people overseas in case their guidelines and rules threaten to compromise the ‘maryada‘ of any Sikh.

(Edited by Sugita Katyal)

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