With large vote bank, defence force veterans hold key to Chandigarh Golf Club election
Poll scheduled on January 25
While the region’s who’s who features in the list of the Chandigarh Golf Club (CGC) members’ list, it’s the veterans (and those serving) from the Army who hold the largest share of votes in the club. As the club gears for the upcoming annual general election, scheduled on January 25, the fight between two Army veterans — Major Rajinder Singh Virk and Capt Mohanbir Singh — is all set to be exciting with members from the Army holding the largest share of votes.
Out of the 1,800 registered members, there are 275 (approximate) voters belonging to the ex-servicemen category (including those currently serving the Army), followed by members of judiciary, bureaucracy, police, doctors, former and current professional golfers, businessmen, politicians and more.
“The focus of the club is the promotion of golf as a sport. The club has a special intake system for membership, which is apportioned between a defence officers category, government officers category and others from the general category. This allows for an intake of members from all strata of life who contribute to the welfare of the club and play an important role in its development as a top sporting institution. The club also promotes students and youngsters and is a ‘nursery’ for providing the Indian golf with some of its finest golfers,” said Ravibir Singh Grewal, president, CGC.
“See, the club has a rich history, and every member has contributed equally. It’s a proud moment for all of us if the club having such an exclusive list of Army men interested in the world of golf,” added Lt Col HS Chahal, former president, CGC.
The club is one of the most sought-after places of the city — considering the activity, list of members and number of golf tournaments played here. The club will witness the election after a gap of one year as the last house was elected unanimously. This year, both veterans are contesting for the post of president, while the contenders of the 11-member executive committee also feature some former names of the Army.
While Virk’s team include Dr SPS Grewal, Sandy Lehal, Gags Aulakh, Alamgir Grewal, Atul Sachdev, Brig TS Mundi, Shona Singh, Munish Arora, GS Kochhar and Jassi Toor; Mohanbir (Bunny) will be contesting with Ajay Wadhwa, Angad Sangha, APS Kahai, Brig Balvinder Singh, Gursharan Sandhu, Jaspartap Sekhon, Capt PS Chimni, Raman Singh Gill, Shobhit Ghai and Satbir.
In the past, Col AP Singh (1988-1989, 2003-05), Lt Gen Depinder Singh (1995-1996), Lt Chahal (2022, 2023) have held the top post for multiple tenures. This year, no matter who wins the elections, but the club will get another president from the Army.
