E-Paper
SGPC general house elections: Deadline for preparation of voters’ list extended again
Justice SS Saron, chief commissioner, gurdwara elections, said the deadline was extended in view of the paddy harvesting season, festival rush, bypolls in four assembly segments in Punjab and the busy schedule of officials due to work of revision of voter lists of assembly segments of Punjab.
The gurdwara election commission on Wednesday extended the last date for registration of voters and preparation of electoral roll for the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) general house elections, to December 15 from October 31.
Justice SS Saron, chief commissioner, gurdwara elections, said the deadline was extended in view of the paddy harvesting season, festival rush, bypolls in four assembly segments in Punjab and the busy schedule of officials due to work of revision of voter lists of assembly segments of Punjab.
The process for registration of voters for gurdwara elections has been in progress since October 21, 2023, but the deadline was extended multiple times.
The elections of the SGPC House, also known as Sikh Parliament, are supposed to be held every five years as per law, but the present House was elected in 2011. Later, the Supreme Court in a case of right to vote to ‘Sehajdhari Sikhs’ had stayed the new house from taking over and asked the then executive to run the SGPC affairs.
In 2016, the Supreme Court reinstated the general house and disposed of the petition advocating the right to vote to ‘Sehajdhari Sikhs’ as the case became irrelevant following a new central law taking away their right.
Of 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.
There are a total of 110 constituencies in Punjab, out of which 47 segments are represented by two members each, while 30 constituencies are reserved for women candidates.
