Visitor:  5413620 Date:  , Nankana Sahib Time :

SGPC to elect its 42nd prez today

AMRITSAR: Marathon meetings between SAD(B) and newly emerged Panthic Front marked the eve of elections to 42nd president of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Tuesday.

With a majority in the present SGPC house, Akalis are confident of their candidate winning the polls. If it happens, it would help the party build its image and control the damage done by incidents of bir desecrations, check division in panth (which led to formation of parallel group of jathedars) and pardon to controversial godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim among others. Sitting president of SGPC, Kirpal Singh Badungar was elected as its 41st president on November 5, 2016. The 190-member SGPC house has 170 elected members, 15 co-opted members and five Takht jathedars, who do not have voting rights.

Sources said a few SGPC members aligned to SAD(B) were allegedly involved in horse-trading to weaken the opposition, especially from Panthic Front to show a united face of SAD(B) and its majority in the house. However, party spokesperson Daljeet Singh Cheema claimed that they had the support of seven to eight opposition members who were earlier with Panthic Front. "Now, our numbers have increased to over 150 in the house," he said. "Let them do anything, Akalis had their government in Punjab in the past. During the last elections, they got only 15 seats but they never kept quite. They kept going to the assembly, staging sit ins and demonstrations. If they try to win over some of our members, we will not keep quiet," said Sukhdev Singh Bhaur of Panthic Front.

SAD(B) president Sukhbir Badal himself held a meeting with SGPC members aligned with party at Teja Singh Samundari Hall, the venue of SGPC president's election tomorrow.