Gill is Golf Club president

CHANDIGARH: Birinder Singh Gill was on Monday elected the president of the Chandigarh Golf Club for the fifth time The 58yearold defeated Lt Col JS Panag retd by 413 votes

Updated At : 07:54 AM May 01, 2018 IST

New Prez: BS Gill (in yellow T-shirt) with his supporters after winning the Chandigarh Golf Club elections on Monday. Tribune photo: Pradeep Tewari

Tribune news service

Chandigarh, April 30

Birinder Singh Gill was on Monday elected the president of the Chandigarh Golf Club for the fifth time. The 58-year-old defeated Lt Col JS Panag (retd) by 413 votes.

Of the 918 votes polled on Sunday, Gill got 663, while the 76-year-old Panag managed to secure 250 votes.

The counting of the votes started at 9 am this morning and the result of the presidential contest was announced within an hour.

Gill had earlier held the office of the Chandigarh Golf Club president four times between 2009 and 2011 and 2014 and 2016.

A majority of the candidates from the Gill camp also won their respective contests for various positions in the management committee of the club.

Two of the candidates — Col Iqbal Singh and Col BS Rangi — from Lt Col Panag’s group also emerged victorious.

There were 15 candidates in the fray for 11 posts of the management committee.

Those elected from Gill’s group include GS Kochar, Lt Col HS Chahal, Jaspal Singh Sidhu, Col AD Singh, Amarbir Singh Lehal, Amarinder S Aulakh, Balbir Singh Mangat, Kulbir Singh Brar and Sanjit Singh Bala.

After the loss, Lt Col Panag (retd) said he would support the present management in the development of the club and expressed the hope that the management would fulfil its promise to bring in transparency in the functioning of the club and also curb the wasteful expenditure

Gill, meanwhile, thanked the members for the support and promised to make the golf course one of the best in the country. “Though the Chandigarh Golf Club is one of the best in the country, there is always scope for improvement. We will engage professionals for various golfing facilities and training and also stop wasteful expenditure to make it even better,” he said after the victory.

Gill also said he will promote the young talent in the city.

“Chandigarh has many aspiring golfers and the club will provide them right atmosphere for training,” Gill added.

The 58-year-old further said fresh programmes would be started for junior golfers.