Over 3.5 L Sikh voters to elect first body of HSGMC today

Sikh community members will elect the first body of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) on Sunday, as polling for 39 of 40 wards will take place across the state. As many as 164 candidates are in the fray. One candidate, Amanpreet Kaur from Tohana (Ward 25), has been elected unopposed.

There are 3,56,184 registered voters, including 1,90,882 women. Prominent Sikh organisations are fielding candidates, including former HSGMC (ad hoc) president Jagdish Singh Jhinda’s Panthak Dal (Jhinda) group, former senior vice president Didar Singh Nalvi’s Sikh Samaj Sanstha group, Haryana Sikh Panthak Dal, and Gurdwara Sangharsh Committee Haryana. Additionally, around 100 candidates are contesting as independents.

Nissing has the maximum number of voters, 17,507, followed by Ambala City with 14,859 voters. Nathusari Chopta has 5,324 voters, Naggal 5,324, Gurugram 4,432, Pipli 4,404, and Panchkula 4,078 voters, among others.

The Haryana Gurdwara Election Commission, led by Justice (retd) HS Bhalla, has made all necessary arrangements across the state to ensure a smooth election process. “We have made all arrangements for the elections with the help of the district administration and the police. Adequate security measures have also been put in place at all booths. We have supplied EVMs and other required materials for the smooth conduct of elections,” he said.

There are 406 booths across the state, of these, eight are in Tohana, where elections will not be contested.

In Karnal district, there are 44 booths, and 10 police officials have been deployed at each booth. Six DSP-rank officers will supervise the security arrangements, said SP Ganga Ram Punia.

In Kaithal district, there are three wards comprising around 30 booths, where adequate police arrangements have been made. “Five police officials have been deployed at each booth, while a reserve force has been kept as standby. DSPs have also been deployed to monitor the election process,” said Kaithal SP Rajesh Kalia.

Presently, an ad hoc committee of the HSGMC manages the funds and affairs of 52 historical gurdwaras in Haryana. In July 2014, the Hooda government passed a legislation to form the HSGMC, which became law. An ad hoc 41-member committee, led by Jagdish Singh Jhinda, was formed for the management of Haryana's gurdwaras and their properties until elections could be held. However, the law was challenged in court by an SGPC-elected member. Baljeet Singh Daduwal was elected president of the Sikh body in 2020 for a term of two and a half years.

In September 2022, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Act. Following this judgment, the BJP government nominated a 38-member ad hoc committee, which later appointed Karamjeet Singh of Yamunanagar its president. Subsequently, Bhupinder Singh Assandh replaced Karamjeet as president, but his tenure was marred by controversies.