OTTAWA—It had all the trappings of an engagement party — elegant clothes, festive gathering and best wishes from friends — but Jagmeet Singh isn’t quite ready to pronounce that he’s preparing to tie the knot.
The stylish NDP leader appeared in a series of photos in social media posts on the weekend with Gurkiran Kaur Sidhu, an entrepreneur and fashion designer, each in traditional Punjabi clothing at what appears to be pre-engagement celebrations.
Toronto-area photographer Gagandeep Singh posted a photo on Instagram of the couple outside against a snowy backdrop with the caption, “Congrats to the future prime minister of Canada @jagmeetsingh & the future first lady @ginu_sidhu on their Rokha!!”
A roka is a Sikh ceremony where the families of the couple meet and can sometimes mark their engagement with a wedding date to follow.
Instagram user djksquare posted a short video of the couple entering a reception room. “We’ve done house parties before but this one is definitely special. Another engagement tonight alongside,” he wrote.
James Smith, a spokesperson for Singh, said there’s no doubt that Singh and Sidhu are in a serious relationship but said that it’s premature to talk engagement.
“It’s a celebration of the families meeting together and a celebration of a very serious relationship between these two,” Smith said in an interview.
Smith stressed that it’s “too soon” to declare the couple are on the road to an engagement or talking wedding dates.
“Yes, too soon to say that. It’s conceivable that one might take this to mean that it’s a likely possibility. But confirmation? No,” Smith said.
Huffington Post was the first to report on the party and highlighted social media comments congratulating the couple — posts that have since been deleted as news of the party spread.
Sidhu is co-founder of jangiiro, which bills itself as a “new age” Punjabi clothing line. In addition to her work in fashion, Sidhu, 27, also does some international humanitarian work, Smith said. She studied business economics at York University.
The two have known each other “quite some time,” but Smith did not know the details of how they met.
Until now, Singh has been guarded about his personal life, declining to confirm or deny that he’s even in a relationship.
Singh, 38, was first elected as an NDP MPP in 2011, representing Bramalea-Gore-Malton. While at Queen’s Park he served as deputy leader for the NDP.
He quit as MPP on Oct. 20 after winning leadership of the federal NDP on Oct. 1.
Since winning the leadership, Singh has indicated he will press for more aggressive cuts to greenhouse gas emissions. He also wants to make “fundamental” changes to the justice system. This would include a federal ban on racial profiling and his call to decriminalize all drugs.
Singh has not yet determined where he will run to be an MP in the 2019 federal election.
With files from Alex Ballingall and The Canadian Press