Haryana gurdwara panel: Newly elected house to co-opt 9 members

Amid intense lobbying among key Sikh organisations and independent members for control of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC), the Haryana Gurdwara Election Commission has announced that the first meeting of the newly elected house will be held to co-opt nine new members. The meeting is scheduled in Panchkula on February 2. These members will be co-opted by the house of the elected representatives, bringing the total strength of the house to 49.

However, the date for the oath-taking ceremony is yet to be declared. Following the oath ceremony, the office-bearers will be elected by the 49 members.

“The meeting of the newly elected members will be held in Panchkula, during which nine members will be co-opted by the house,” said the gurdwara election commissioner, Justice HS Bhalla (retd).

As per the Haryana Sikh Gurdwaras (Management) Act, the co-opted members would include two Sikh women, three persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Backward Class categories, two Sikh intellectuals, and two members from the presidents of registered “Singh Sabhas” in the state, he said.

The co-opted members would have the right to vote for the election of office-bearers of the executive board. However, the elected members would retain the authority to remove the nominated members.

In the first HSGMC general election, held on Sunday to elect 40 members, no group secured a majority. As per the election commission, a maximum of 22 members are independents, followed by nine members from the Panthak Dal (Jhinda) faction, led by former HSGMC (ad-hoc) president Jagdish Singh Jhinda, six from the Akali Dal (SAD)-affiliated Haryana Sikh Panthak Dal, and three from the Sikh Samaj Sanstha, led by former senior vice-president of ad-hoc committee Didar Singh Nalvi.

Nalvi has hinted at extending support to Jhinda’s group, setting aside differences. “Now, is the time for us to sit together and unanimously agree on the names of the nine members to be co-opted,” he said.

Jhinda’s faction and a few independents are making efforts to take charge of the committee by reaching out to independent members. Jhinda, who resigned from his post a day after being elected, and then withdrew it within a few hours, said independent members were reaching out to support him.

Baldev Singh, president of the Haryana Sikh Panthak Dal, also expressed confidence in gaining the support of independent members. “We have sufficient numbers to elect our office-bearers,” he said.