CHANDIGARH: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate Harjinder Singh Dhami has been re-elected as the president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the mini-parliament of Sikhs, for the fourth consecutive term.
A total of 142 votes were polled and Dhami got 107 votes, while on the other hand, Bibi Jagir Kaur could secure only 33 votes and two votes were declared invalid.
Of the 148 members, only 142 turned up to participate in the election process for the top post of the apex gurdwara body at the Teja Singh Samundri Hall in the Golden Temple complex at Amritsar.
Raghujit Singh Virk was elected as senior vice-president unopposed, and Baldev Singh Kalyan and Sher Singh were elected as junior vice-president and general secretary, respectively. Meanwhile, the 11-member executive was also nominated.
Dhami has been the SGPC president for consecutive four terms - 2021-2022, 2022-2023, 2023-2024 and 2024-2025. He had replaced Bibi Jagir Kaur as the chief in the 2021-2022 election and his tenure as president of the Sikh body remained non-controversial.
The general house of the SGPC consists of a total of 185 members, including the 15 co-opted members. At present, the house has 148 members as 31 members have died, while four others have resigned from the membership and two half lost the voting rights. The five Takht Jathedars (High Priests) and the Golden Temple head granthi are also counted in the House, separately, but they have no voting rights.
This is likely the last annual election of the existing body as the Chief Gurdwara Election Commission has declared to hold the General Elections (for a five-year term) of the SGPC.
The voting registration process is underway and the SGPC general polls are expected to be held next year.
The house proceedings were attended by Golden Temple’s Head Granthi and Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh, Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib Jathedar Giani Sultan Singh, Akal Takht’s Additional Granthi Giani Malkit Singh.
A loyalist of the Badal family, Dhami is an advocate by profession. Born on August 28, 1956, in Piplan Wala village, Hoshiarpur district, he has been a member of the SGPC representing the Sham Chaurasi segment since 1996.