Punjab CM Starts Process of Holding SGPC Elections

Punjab CM Starts Process of Holding SGPC Elections

Chandigarh, October 4: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Wednesday announced that the process for revising electoral rolls and making new votes for the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) elections will start from October 21, 2023.

“This will pave the way for holding of elections thereby ensuring that democratically elected SGPC takes over the reign of Sikh affairs,” Mann said in a statement.

He said that it is unfortunate that the SGPC is currently being run by an interim body with a provisional president. “The state government will ensure that the elections for the premier Sikh body are held soon,” he said.

Mann bemoaned that the SGPC has now become a “stooge in the hands of its masters” and its decisions are “pre-scripted by the Akali leadership.” He said that “free and fair elections are must to oust the modern day masands.”

The Chief Minister said that all the decisions of the SGPC are “dictated, decided and delivered by the Badal family.” He said that it is unfortunate that the personal interests of those at the helm of affairs in SGPC are harming the interests of the sangat.

“The wise people will never forgive these ‘culprits’ for this sin against humanity,” Mann said.

The SGPC is the apex body that manages Sikh gurdwaras and shrines. It is also responsible for appointing the clergy, including the jathedar of the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs.

The SGPC elections are held every five years. However, due to various legal challenges, the last elections were held in 2011. The current SGPC body is an interim body that was appointed by the Punjab government in 2022.