Jagmeet Brar makes it to SAD’s 20-member core committee

KEY POSITIONS: Jagir Kaur will continue to head party’s women’s wing; Parmbans Singh Bunty Romana to lead Youth Akali Dal; Gulzar Singh Ranike to head party’s Scheduled Castes wing; NK Sharma is party’s trade wing chief

Senior leader Jagmeet Singh Brar was among the 19-member core committee of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) that was announced on Monday. Brar, a former Congress MP who had joined the Akali Dal last year, made it to the highest decision-making body of the party, along with senior leaders Balwinder Singh Bhunder, Tota Singh, Charanjit Singh Atwal, Nirmal Singh Kahlon, Maheshinder Singh Grewal, Prem Singh Chandumajra, Daljit Singh Cheema, Jagir Kaur, Upinderjit Kaur, Sikander Singh Maluka, Janmeja Singh Sekhon, Bikram Singh Majithia, Hari Singh Zira, Sharanjit Singh Dhillon, Gulzar Singh Ranike, Surjit Singh Rakhra, Baldev Singh Mann and SGPC chief Gobind Singh Longowal.

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Party’s senior vice-president and spokesman Daljit Singh Cheema said party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal retained Jagir Kaur as the president of women’s wing. Gulzar Singh Ranike has been appointed as the chief of the party’s Scheduled Castes wing. Dera Bassi legislator NK Sharma will lead the party’s trade wing.

The name of Takht Patna board president Avtar Singh Hit, a loyalist of party patriarch Parkash Singh Badal, didn’t figure in the list. Party spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema said Hit’s name was mistakenly left out and it was added later.

WILL STRENGTHEN PARTY BASE AT BOOTH LEVEL: ROMANA

Bikram Majithia’s loyalist Parmbans Singh Bunty Romana has been made president of the Youth Akali Dal. Banti unsuccessfully contested state polls in 2017 from Faridkot and remained party’s youth wing president of one of the two zones of Malwa belt. On his appointment as sixth YAD president, Romana said he will mobilise party’s youth support at the booth-level for the 2022 polls.