Hsgmc members take oath choose pro tem chairperson

Hsgmc members take oath choose pro tem chairperson

As many as 49 members, including 40 elected to the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC), were administered oath by chairperson of the Gurdwara Election Commission Justice (retd) HS Bhalla in Panchkula on Tuesday.

The members also include nine who were co-opted as per the rules of the HSGMC Act, 2014, on Sunday. A Gazette notification in this regard was issued a day later.

Bhupinder Singh, registrar of the commission said that the oath ceremony took place at Panchkula rest house in the presence of HS Bhalla and others.

“The members later chose Joga Singh, an elected member from ward number 9 (Jagadhri) as pro-tem chairperson. Now, he will consult all the members as well as the commission to reach a consensus on the date for the next meeting, where the executive committee will be chosen,” he added.

Joga Singh, a senior member affiliated with veteran leader Didar Singh Nalvi’s Sikh Samaaj Sanstha will decide on the date within 10 days for the crucial meeting that is likely to take place at Kurukshetra, multiple people familiar with the matter, said.

HSGMC’s head office is based at Gurdwara Chhevin Patshahi at Kurukshetra.

The 40 elected members along with nine co-opted members, who also have the voting rights, will choose the high-powered 11-members executive panel including the president, senior vice-president, vice-president, general secretary, and other office-bearers.

Power struggle

The induction of Jathedar Baljeet Singh Daduwal as a co-opted member has stirred a political storm with different groups hitting out at the state government for his “indirect entry” to the gurdwara body, a stance rejected by Daduwal.

Daduwal, lost the January 19, 2025, HSGMC elections from Kalanwali in Sirsa, was nominated as one of nine co-opted members from the category of General Category Sikh Tenets.

Baldev Singh Kaimpuri, who is leader of the SAD-affiliated Sikh Panthak Dal, was among the first to express dissatisfaction on Daduwal’s entry, followed by SPD’s ally Akal Panthak Morcha that forms most of the independent members.

However, the forging of alliance between former presidents of the ad-hoc body Jagdish Singh Jhinda and Baljit Singh Daduwal has snubbed Kaimpuri and independents.

During a conversation with HT, Jhinda, who also took oath as a member from Assandh (Karnal), claims to have support of a total of 29 members.

When asked if they will claim the majority, he said, “It will take more than a week for the next meeting to take place. We will see what happens next, but as of now we have 29 members.”

Jhinda, who was the president of the body from 2014 to 2020, has the support of 29 members including nine of his Panthak Dal (Jhinda), five of the newly co-opted members, two from Sikh Samaj Sanstha and 15 others, a senior member, on condition of anonymity, said.