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Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee gets nine co-opted members
Under the HSGMC Act, 2014, it is mandated to include two Sikh women, three members from Scheduled Castes or Backward Classes, two Sikh intellectuals, and two presidents of registered Singh Sabhas, through co-option
Four months after the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) witnessed its first election, nine members were co-opted into the body at a full house meeting in Panchkula on Sunday.
They are former Panipat mayor Bhupinder Singh (Backward Class), wife of former general secretary, Simranjeet Kaur (Sikh Women) from Karnal; former member Kartar Kaur (Sikh Women) from Kurukshetra; Sewa Singh (Scheduled Caste), and Baljit Singh (General Sikh Tenets) from Sirsa and Gurmail Singh (Registered Singh Sabha) from Fatehabad.
Three from Ambala include Balbir Singh (Scheduled Caste), Dilbag Singh (General Sikh Tenets) and Harinder Singh (Registered Singh Sabha).
Under the HSGMC Act, 2014, it is mandated to include two Sikh women, three members from Scheduled Castes or Backward Classes, two Sikh intellectuals, and two presidents of registered Singh Sabhas, through co-option.
Without these nine co-opted members, the 40-member HSGMC cannot take oath or assume official functions, it was stated.
Earlier, a five-member panel formed for the purpose had failed to reach out a consensus after which Gurdwara Election Commission head justice HS Bhalla (retd) called a full-house meeting.
President to be elected on Tuesday
Speaking to HT on this latest development, former HSGMC (ad-hoc) president Jagdish Singh Jhinda said that now oath of all the members will take place on May 13 at Panchkula rest house.
“At the same meeting, executive committee including the president will be elected. However, the nominated members can only vote but cannot be elected to executive,” he said.
“We are satisfied with the Haryana govt as they are cooperating fully for the betterment of HSGMC and Sikh community as a whole,” he added.
In the first-ever elections held on January 19 this year, 40 members were elected, including 22 independents, nine from the Panthak Dal (Jhinda), six from the SAD-backed Haryana Sikh Panthak Dal, and three from Sikh Samaj Sanstha headed by Didar Singh Nalvi.
Later, 19 Independents formed Akal Panthak Morcha and got support from six members of the Sikh Panthak Dal, claiming majority with 25 members. However, several of them have defected since there was no clarity on the election for executive.
