Conduct gurdwara panel poll, Sikh leaders urge new govt

With the formation of the new government in the state, the Sikh community leaders, who have been waiting for the gurdwara elections for long, are seeking the conduct of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) poll in the state.

The tenure of the previous HSGMC (ad hoc) had ended in May and the community leaders were demanding that the poll be conducted. However, the government, on August 14, had nominated a new 41-member house of the ad-hoc HSGMC to manage, supervise and take over all assets of gurdwaras in Haryana.

Former HSGMC (ad hoc) president and president of Shiromani Panthik Akali Dal Jagdish Singh Jhinda held a meeting with his supporters in Kurukshetra and decided to seek time from Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini regarding the elections.

“We have decided to send a letter to the CM and seek time for a meeting so that the issue related to the elections could be discussed. He had earlier assured us that the election would be conducted soon but instead of holding the poll, a new ad hoc committee was formed. We demand that the Haryana government should announce the conduct of the HSGMC elections on November 1 and complete all formalities regarding it on priority,” said Jhinda.

He further said, “We have also decided to begin holding meetings in all districts of the state to strengthen our base, form district and block presidents and start preparations for the elections. We will field candidates in all 40 wards under the banner of Shiromani Panthik Akali Dal.”

Meanwhile, president of Sikh Samaj Sanstha, Didar Singh Nalvi, who also held a meeting, said, “After the tenure of the previous committee ended, the government should have declared the elections. The government and the ad hoc committee have not been following the due procedures and laws. The elections of the HSGMC were scheduled to be held on March 6 but were postponed. Now both Lok Sabha and Assembly elections have been completed and the government should get the elections of the HSGMC conducted at the earliest. In the meeting held on Saturday, it was decided that we will the CM and request him to get the elections conducted by the first week of December so that the elected members could manage the working pf the HSGMC.”

Meanwhile, HSGMC (ad hoc) president Bhupinder Singh Assandh, said “The Haryana committee has been ensuring the smooth management of the gurdwaras. New inns are being constructed in various gurdwaras of the state. The committee has been focusing on education sector, too, and improving the level of education in the educational institutions being run under the HSGMC. The decision regarding the elections is to be taken by the state government and we are ready for the elections.”