Independents reign supreme in 1st Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee election

Sikhs on Sunday voted to elect the first governing body of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC). The results, announced late in the evening, gave an edge to Independent candidates, who won 21 of the 40 seats

Advertisement

The voting, which took place at 398 polling stations across the state, concluded peacefully. Of the 3,50,980 registered voters, 2,45,167 or 69.85 per cent exercised their franchise.

The Panthak Dal (Jhinda), led by former HSGMC (ad hoc) president Jagdish Singh Jhinda secured 10 seats, followed by six by the Haryana Sikh Panthak Dal and three by the Sikh Samaj Sanstha (Nalvi), headed by former senior vice president of ad hoc committee Didar Singh Nalvi.

The Gurdwara Sangharsh Committee, Haryana, failed to open its account. Former HSGMC (ad hoc) president Baljeet Singh Daduwal too suffered a setback as he lost from ward No. 35 (Kalanwali) in Sirsa district.

Besides 40 elected members, nine will be nominated by the newly elected governing body. All 49 members will then pick the office-bearers, including the president.

While Jhinda won from ward No. 18 (Assandh) by 1,941 votes, Nalvi emerged victorious from ward No. 13 (Shahabad), although with a narrow margin of 200 votes. Both leaders were at the forefront of the decades long struggle for a separate Haryana gurdwara management body.

Jhinda and Nalvi expressed gratitude to the voters and pledged to work for the betterment of state gurdwaras and welfare of the community. Presently, an ad hoc committee manages the affairs of 52 historical gurdwaras in the state.

The journey to this election began in the late 1990s, gaining momentum during the 2005 Haryana Assembly elections. The Congress government under Bhupinder Singh Hooda enacted the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Act in 2014, creating an ad hoc 41-member committee led by Jhinda. However, legal challenges from the SGPC delayed the elections. The Supreme Court upheld the Act’s constitutional validity in 2022, paving the way for these historic elections.

Prominent Sikh organisations, including the Panthak Dal (Jhinda), Sikh Samaj Sanstha (Nalvi), Haryana Sikh Panthak Dal, and the Gurdwara Sangharsh Committee, Haryana, had fielded candidates. Besides, 100 leaders contested the elections as Independents.

Amanpreet Kaur was elected unopposed from ward No. 25 (Tohana) and polling was held for the remaining 39 seats for which 164 candidates were in the fray.

In Karnal district, Jhinda’s Panthak Dal dominated. He had fielded three of the four candidates in the district and all won. Kapur Kaur won from ward No. 16 (Nilokheri) and Gurnam Singh Laddi from ward No. 17 (Nissing). From ward No. 19 (Karnal), independent candidate Palvinder Singh emerged victorious.

The Panthak Dal dominated Kaithal district too. It had fielded candidates on two of the three seats. Major Singh won from ward No. 20 (Guhla) and Baldev Singh from ward No. 22 (Kaithal).

In Ambala district, Rupinder Singh won from ward No. 5 (Ambala Cantt), Gurjit Singh ward No. 3 (Naraingarh), Rajinder Singh ward No. 4 (Barara), Gurtej Singh ward No. 6 (Ambala City) and Sukhdev Singh ward No. 7 (Naggal).

In Kurukshetra district, Kuldip Singh won from ward No. 11 (Pehowa), Inderjeet Singh ward No. 12 (Murtzapur) and Jasbir Kaur Masana from ward No. 14. BJP leader Kawaljeet Singh Ajrana’s wife Bibi Ravinder Kaur lost the ward No. 15 (Thanesar) seat to Independent candidate Harmanpreet Singh.

In Panipat district, Mohanjeet Singh won from ward No. 23 (Panipat), while in Yamunanagar district, Gurbir Singh won from ward No. 8. Joga Singh was elected from ward No. 9, Baldev Singh ward No. 10 and Balwinder Singh won from ward No. 29.

The results in Sirsa threw up a few surprises. Former president Daduwal was defeated by Binder Singh Khalsa by 1,767 votes. Gurmeet Singh Tilokewala, another well-known leader, lost to Kuldeep Singh in Rori by 1,100 votes.

Prakash Singh Sahuwala won the Nathusari Chopta ward, Angrej Singh ward No. 31 (Rania), Gurpal Singh ward No. 32 (Ellenabad), Gurmej Singh ward No. 33 (Sirsa), Amritpal Singh ward No. 35 (Baragudha) and Jagtar Singh won ward No. 38 (Pipli).