Tags:
Journalism of Courage
The expulsion of Bibi Jagir Kaur from the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) on Monday (November 7) has introduced an interesting element in the upcoming presidential election of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).
Bibi Jagir Kaur became the first woman president of the apex elected body of Sikhs in 1999, and again in 2004 and 2020. The former leader of the SAD(B) women’s wing had decided to contest the SGPC election again, with or without the consent of party president Sukhbir Singh Badal.
Her announcement had created ripples in Punjab’s politics, and she was expelled from the SAD(B) for alleged anti-party activities. Bibi Jagir Kaur had been suspended on November 2, and had refused to appear before a disciplinary committee.
The election for the SGPC president will be held on November 9. The SAD(B) has named incumbent president Harjinder Singh Dhami as its candidate for the post.
The SGPC house
Ideally, the SGPC house should be elected every five years. There are 191 members in the present house, 170 of whom are elected members from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh. Fifteen members are nominated from across the country, and the remaining six members are the Jathedars of the five Takht Sahibs and the Head Granthi of Sachkhand Sri Harmandir Sahib. Thirty seats in the house are reserved for women.
The last SGPC house was elected in 2011. However, due to litigation over voting rights for Sikhs with shorn hair, the house remained in suspension until 2016. Members who were elected in 2011 started their tenure only in 2016, and completed their five years in 2022.
Fresh elections to the SGPC house are due; however, the Gurdwara Election Commission is yet to make a statement on dates.
Election of SGPC president
As per the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925, the SGPC house elects a 15-member executive committee that includes a president, a senior vice president, a vice president, and a general secretary. A meeting of the SGPC is called at the historic Teja Singh Samundri Hall in Amritsar for this purpose.
SGPC members vote to elect new office bearers every year. The executive committee makes all decisions on the behalf of the SGPC house.
Any SGPC member whose name is proposed by two other SGPC members can contest the presidential election. In case there is a contest, SGPC members vote in a secret ballot to choose the new president.
Current scenario in SGPC
Of the 191 members, 157 will be available to vote in the election for the SGPC president. Twenty six members have died and two have resigned over the past decade.
The SAD(B) has a huge majority of 135 members in the SGPC house while the opposition has only 22. In terms of numbers, therefore, Bibi Jagir Kaur faces a very difficult challenge; however, she can hurt the SAD(B) politically if she manages to secure a certain number of votes from party members.
Allegations of “lifafa” culture
By convention, over the last two decades, SAD(B) SGPC members have given over their right to elect the SGPC president to the SAD(B) president. The choice is kept secret until the last hour, after which the party’s SGPC members rubber-stamp the name chosen by the party president. The secrecy over the name of the new president is maintained in order to minimise the chances of a rebellion.
The last several presidents, including Bibi Jagir Kaur herself, were handpicked by SAD(B) president Sukhbir Singh Badal. This time, however, Bibi Jagir Kaur has called out the alleged “lifafa (envelope) culture” in the party, in which the name decided by the president is made public only inside the house.
This is the first time that the SAD(B) has announced the name of its candidate in advance. Bibi Jagir Kaur will contest against the party’s candidate Harjinder Singh Dhami if no other member enters the ring.
