Gurdwara body polls postponed over surge

The proposal said it will not be prudent to hold the elections during the lockdown, and added that polling booths may become “hot spots”.

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday said the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) elections have been postponed in view of the surge in Covid-19 cases and the week-long lockdown imposed in the national capital to check the spread of the virus.

Representational: The elections should be postponed as it can be conducted by May 13 as per the court order, the government proposal said. (Raj K Raj/HT PHOTO)

“Gurdwara elections in Delhi, to be held on 25 April, have been postponed due to corona and ongoing curfew. Hon’ble CM sends the proposal to Hon’ble LG,” Sisodia tweeted, along with an image of the proposal which chief minister Arvind Kejriwal sent to lieutenant-governor Anil Baijal on Tuesday.

A senior official at the L-G’s office said even though the file was not received till this report was filed, the L-G is going to approve the proposal and the elections will be postponed.

The proposal said it will not be prudent to hold the elections during the lockdown, and added that polling booths may become “hot spots”.

Referring to a high court case, the proposal said the Delhi government has stated in the court that the election process will be completed by April 29. The court has directed it to adhere to the schedule with a permissible variation of two weeks, it said.

Therefore, the elections should be postponed as it can be conducted by May 13 as per the court order, the government proposal said.