Sikh delegation meets Gurdwara panel chairperson over HSGMC polls
A day after getting assurance from Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini to expedite the process for conducting elections of Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC), a delegation of the Haryana Sikh Ekta Dal met Justice HS Bhalla (Retd), Chairperson, Haryana Gurdwara Election Commission, on Monday.
Members of the delegation discussed the timing of the Gurdwara elections and the challenges faced in updating the voter registration. They claimed that Justice Bhalla informed them that preparations for the election are complete and an official announcement will be made within the next two to three days.
The members also claimed that they were assured the elections would be scheduled in January, following the Shaheedi Gurpurab in December and the Prakash Utsav of Guru Gobind Singh in January. He encouraged the Haryana Sikh Ekta Dal delegation to motivate the Sikh community to maximise voter registration.
Giving details, Pritpal Singh Pannu, a member of the delegation, said that they raised concerns about issues in the voter registration process. “We highlighted discrepancies, including non-Sikh names in certain wards, misplaced entries across wards, and missing village names in the voter list, making it difficult to locate voters,” said Pannu.
The delegation also emphasised a need to simplify the new voter registration process and requested the appointment of booth level officers, similar to other elections, to manage the voter registration for the HSGMC.
“Justice Bhalla assured us of solving these concerns and mentioned that Deputy Commissioners in each district would serve as nodal officers for the elections,” he added.
