SGPC annual polls: Harjinder Singh Dhami is SAD’s pick for top post, Oppn fields Balbir Singh Ghunas

Harjinder Singh Dhami will be the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate for the president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) for the third time. The annual elections will be held on Wednesday. Dhami was previously elected in 2021 and 2022.

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) incumbent president Harjinder Singh Dhami will be the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate for the gurdwara body’s top post this time too, party president Sukhbir Singh Badal announced on Tuesday. Balbir Singh Ghunas has been fielded by the opposition members.

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) incumbent president Harjinder Singh Dhami (File)

The annual elections of the SGPC are slated to be held on Wednesday.

This is the third time that Sukhbir has backed Dhami for the post. “A decision to this effect was taken after the SAD president met SGPC members and took their view on this issue. The members were unanimous in their opinion that advocate Dhami had done yeoman service as president of the SGPC during the last two years and should be renominated as the party candidate for the same for the third time”, said Daljit Singh Cheema, SAD spokesperson.

Dhami became the president for the first time in 2021 and was re-elected in 2022 wherein he defeated former three-time president Jagir Kaur in a high-stakes battle for the top post. Of the total 146 votes polled, Dhami got 104, while Bibi polled 42 in 2022.

“There is a unanimous feeling that advocate has stood up for panthic values and admirably defended panthic institutions during his tenure at the helm. We are appreciative of his work and are confident he will continue to steer the SGPC to even greater heights,” Sukhbir said.

Earlier, addressing a meeting of SGPC members affiliated with the SAD at the Teja Singh Samundari Hall, headquarters of the gurdwara body, Sukhbir urged everyone to vote for the party candidate.

The members, during the meeting, passed a resolution unanimously to give all rights to Dhami for constituting the panel of office bearers after winning the polls tomorrow.

On the activities of the opposition which announced Balbir Singh Ghunas as its candidate against Dhami in presence of SAD (Sanyukt) leader Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, three-time SGPC president Jagir Kaur and former Akal Takht jathedar Jasbir Singh Rode, Badal said, “People of anti-Sikh forces working day and night to weaken the Panth and its army - the Shiromani Akali Dal. The party members defeated the nefarious design of the rival forces last year also.”

He said Ghunas was playing into the hands of anti-Sikh forces, while Dhindsa and Kaur said during a press conference, “All the members should listen to the voice of their conscience while voting.”

Ghunas claimed that he is contesting the polls after meeting all the SGPC members, and the majority assured support to him.

Besides the top post, elections for the senior vice-president, junior vice-president, general secretary and 11-member executive committee of the SGPC will also be held simultaneously.

Following the announcement, Dhami tweeted, “With the blessings of Guru, the SAD has once again chosen me as its contestant for the headship of the apex Sikh body SGPC. I heartfully thank the SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, other office bearers of the party and all the SGPC members. May Guru help us (sic).”

Ghunas, who is an SGPC member from the Chananwal segment of Barnala district and a former MLA, remained affiliated to the SAD, but during the last elections, he extended support to Jagir Kaur, who contested against Dhami unsuccessfully.

The SGPC member of the SAD camp Sant Charanjit Singh Jassowal, former spokesperson of Damdami Taksal, extended support to Ghunas during the press conference. Of the total 191 members of the general house, 170 members are elected by Sikh voters in the general elections, 15 are co-opted, five are sitting (jathedars) heads of Sikh temporal seats, and one is head granthi of Golden Temple. However, the jathedars and head granthis don’t have the right to vote.

As the general elections have not been conducted for the last 12 years, nearly 30 members have expired and two have resigned