Sukhbir’s choice Harjinder Singh Dhami re-elected SGPC chief; Bibi Jagir Kaur secures 29% votes

After the results were declared, Kaur dared Sukhbir Singh Badal to resign from the post of Akali Dal president.

“Akali Dal leaders had claimed that they would resign if I secured more than 25 votes. I secured 42. Now Sukhbir Badal should resign. I have come out of the SGPC House by calling out the traitors of the Khalsa panth. Such traitors of panth will be ousted,” Kaur said.

Kaur, a three-time SGPC chief further termed the the poll result as “my victory”. “I have taught them how to contest election. Sukhbir Badal had to camp here to defeat me. They even threatened SGPC members and warned them against voting for me”.

The victory for Dhami, meanwhile, came at a cost as his win margin registered a dip. During last year’s election, Dhami had polled 122 votes against 19 of his rival candidate Mithu Singh Kahneke.

Earlier, the general house of the SGPC assembled at Teja Singh Samundri Hall to elect its president and other office bearers including general secretary, senior vice president and junior vice president. Baldev Singh Qaimpur was unanimously elected as vice president, Avtar Singh Riya as junior vice president and Gurcharan Singh Grewal as general secretary.

SGPC member Alwinderpal Singh Pakhoke proposed the Dhami’s name for the post of president, which was seconded by Advocate Bhagwant Singh Sialka and Navtej Singh Kauni. Another SGPC member Amrik Singh Shahpur proposed the name of Kaur, which was seconded by Mithu Singh Kahneke and Jaswant Singh Pudain.

After being declared winner, Dhami said that it was a victory of the Sikh community as “anti-Sikh forces” had left no stone unturned to defeat the SAD. “The unseen power of the almighty supported the party,” he said.

Dhami accused the Centre, the Punjab government, the Haryana government, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and National Commission for Minorities chairperson Iqbal Singh Lalpura of “secretly working together as one to press the SGPC members against voting for Akali Dal candidate”.

He claimed that “anti-SAD” people contacted all the SGPC members to support the opposition candidate but it did not work. He gave the credit for his victory to Sukhbir and all those members of the SGPC, “who resolved to remain firm despite the adverse circumstances”.

Sukhbir, in a statement, termed Dhami’s win a “victory of the panth” over forces out to wreck the Sikh community. “I thank the ‘akal purakh’, ‘khalsa panth’ and SGPC members for giving a resounding rebuff to anti-Sikh conspirators and their stooges by reposing faith in the SGPC poll today. I also felicitate Dhami Sahib and offer him my best wishes to continue to serve the Guru Khalsa Panth with renewed devotion, commitment and humility,” he said.

Earlier, the SAD had initially suspended Kaur for “anti-party activities”. When she remained adamant on contesting the polls, she was expelled. Once considered a loyalist of the Badal family, Kaur was demanding she be made the party’s nominee for the SGPC presidential poll. Kaur, a former MLA, was SGPC chief in 1999, 2004 and 2020.

Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt) chief Sukhev Singh Dhindsa had also met several SGPC members and had urged them to vote for Kaur.

The SAD had announced Dhami as its candidate and its decision to name its candidate was a marked departure from the practice of declaring its nominee on the day of poll.

During the general session, 11 members of an internal committee of the SGPC were also elected.

Mohan Singh Bangi, Jarnail Singh Kartarpur, Surjit Singh Tughalwal, Bawa Singh, Gumanpura, Gurinder Kaur Bholuwal, Gurnam Singh Jassal, Paramjit Singh Khalsa, Sher Singh Mandwala, Baba Gurpreet Singh Randhawa, Bhupinder Singh Assandh and Malkit Singh Changal were elected as members.

Later, all SGPC members along with Dhami paid obeisance in the sanctum sanctorum of the Golden Temple.