Amritsar: The high-voltage presidential election of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Monday will see senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders competing against each other.
While the SAD has fielded sitting president of the SGPC Harjinder Singh Dhami, the opposition group under the banner of SAD Sudhar Lehar has once again put its bet on the first ever women president of the Sikh body, Bibi Jagir Kaur, who has also served in the Badal govt cabinet in the past.
Jagir Kaur remained the president of the SGPC from March 16, 1999, to Nov 11, 2000, from Sept 23, 2004, to Nov 23, 2005, and then from Nov 27, 2020, to Nov 29, 2021. On the other hand, Dhami was first elected as the SGPC president on Nov 29, 2021, and held the post for three consecutive years. Dhami is contesting the elections for the fourth time in a row.
The elections for the posts of SGPC president, senior vice-president, junior vice-president, general secretary, and members of the executive committee will be held on Monday at Teja Singh Samundri Hall situated in the SGPC complex.
Meanwhile, around 100 SGPC members aligned with the SAD led by working president Balwinder Singh Bhundar, at Teja Singh Samundri Hall.
SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal was conspicuous by his absence since he had been declared a ‘tankhiya (guilty of religious misconduct)’ by the Akal Takht and as per the Akal Takht tradition, he cannot attend the social and public gatherings.
In a house of 190 members, a total of 153 SGPC members, including five Sikh high priests, will cast their vote for the post of president and other office-bearers of the SGPC. Thirty-one SGPC members have expired, four SGPC members have resigned and two don’t have the voting rights.
Claiming victory with a thumping majority, Dhami expressed his gratitude to the 20 women SGPC members who attended the meeting on Sunday, acknowledging their commitment and dedication to fulfil their responsibilities for the panth.