Amidst a rising COVID19 surge in Delhi and the country, a couldn’t care less Delhi Sikh community, with a registered electorate of 342,065 is likely to elect 46 members, from amongst the 310 candidates in the fray for the DSGMC. The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee general elections will be conducted by the Directorate of Gurdwara Elections of the government of Delhi on 25 April 2021.

WITH AND ESTIMATED CENTENNIAL POPULATION of around 610,000 and a registered voter count of 342,065, the elections to the 46 wards of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) are likely to be held on 25 April with murmurs of protest seeking postponement of elections due to COVID19 scare as infections cross 17,000 a day which is almost double the number last year.

If the elections are held as scheduled, the results will be declared on 28 April when the counting of votes will be done. Subsequently, upon the co-option of four members by members depending upon their strength, the new house will be constituted.  The Jathedars of Five Takhts are automatically co-pted, whereas one member is nominated by the SGPC.

A group of youngsters have already gone on record on social media urging Sikhs to stay indoors, effectively making electioneering difficult and cumbersome.

The Director of the Directorate of Gurdwara Elections Narinder Singh, while speaking to WSN confirmed the number of candidates and the total electorate, whose details are all mentioned on the Directorate website.

“The elections will be held using ballot paper and there is no option of NOTA (None Of The Above) in the current DSGMC election,”

Narinder Singh, Director, Directorate of Gurdwara Elections

“The elections will be held using ballot paper and there is no option of NOTA (None Of The Above) in the current DSGMC election,” he added.

Narinder Singh told this correspondent that the Sikhs of Delhi must overwhelmingly participate in the voting process for the DSGMC and there should be an increase in voting as compared to the previous election’s 46 per cent in 2017.

Sikhs of Delhi have shown little regard for the DSGMC elections as shown by the number of the electorate. The voter count has come down from 383,561 in 2017 to 342,065, even though there were three extensions for the period of enrolment and even online enrolment was an option. Even the DSGMC did not make any efforts to enhance the voter numbers.

Except for a little activism in some pockets, the Singh Sabhas registered with the Directorate and even unregistered Gurdwaras and Sikh institutions and activists did not make any special efforts to motivate Sikh Sangat to get their votes registered. The present number of voters has been possible because of the interest shown by the various groups who are participating in the polls.

189 candidates are from the 6 registered groups and 121 are independent, with only 17 female candidates. Interestingly, the number of female voters is 171,370 and Male Voters is 170695, with women voters having a slender lead. 

World Sikh News motivated and warned time and again that should this disdain of the Delhi Sikh voters continue, they will lose their moral right to question those elected. Yet apart from some facebook warriors, there was no groundwork worth the name to enlist young voters and also to generate more interest in these elections which decide the management of historic Gurdwaras and educational institutions run by the DSGMC.

It is noteworthy that nearly 75,000 previous voters, typically due to their laxity and indifference and some due to COVID19 conditions did not verify or update their records.

Speaking to WSN, Narinder Singh pointed out that nearly 75,000 previous voters, typically due to their laxity and indifference and some due to COVID19 conditions did not verify or update their records. All of these were a sum-total of duplicate votes, false entries, deaths and people who moved from their addresses.

The World Sikh News can humbly say that its campaign for the DSGMC months before the elections and its continued interaction with the Directorate of Gurdwara Elections enabled as many as 45,000 new applicants to register as voters -both online and offline. Balkar Singh, a resident of Paschim Vihar, while speaking to WSN said, “we get what we deserve.”

A large number of these applicants were persuaded through the WSN education and motivation campaign to check old votes and make new ones. Elite and professional Sikhs were also influenced by the relentless WSN campaign. Satnam Singh, a new voter from Rajouri Garden, speaking to this reporter said, “But for WSN, I would not have registered my vote.”

6 religious groups are in the fray, with the incumbent Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal Dal), led by present President Manjinder Singh Sirsa contesting 46 seats on the symbol ‘Bucket’. The Shiromani Akali Dal Delhi led by brothers Paramjit Singh Sarna and Harvinder Singh Sarna, who has entered a pre-poll alliance with the Bhai Ranjit Singh-led Panbthik Akali Lehar is contesting 34 and 8 seats with symbols ‘Car’ and ‘Candle’ respectively. Bhai Ranjit Singh is a former Jathedar of Akal Takht Sahib.

There are 4 seats where SAD Delhi is not contesting, in which there seems to be an informal tie-up between the Sarnas and Manjit Singh GK. Four seats, one of Greater Kailash where Manjit Singh GK is the candidate and the other of Kalkaji where Harjit Singh, brother of Manjit Singh GK is contesting, the Sarnas-Ranjit Singh alliance have not fielded anyone.  In Shakti Nagar and Tilak Vihar also there are no Sarnas-Bhai Ranjit Singh candidates.  Similarly, Manjit Singh GK too has not fielded anyone from Punjabi Bagh -the hot seat where Harvinder Singh Sarna takes on Manjinder Singh Sirsa. Similarly, no candidates have been fielded by Manjit Singh GK in Fateh Nagar, Janakpuri, and Jangpura.

JAGO party of Manjit Singh GK, who has the support of Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa -a former Badal Dal leader and now the President of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Democratic) is contesting 41 seats with the symbol ‘Book’, The Sikh Sadbhavna Dal of Darbar Sahib Raagi Bhai Baldev Singh Wadala is contesting 33 seats on the symbol ‘Table Lamp’. The Panthak Sewa Dal led by Hardit Singh Gobindpuri is contesting 27 seats, while curiously the Aam Akali Dal is not contesting any seat.

As many as 189 candidates are from the 6 registered groups and 121 are independent, with only 17 female candidates. Interestingly, the number of female voters is 171,370 and Male Voters is 170695, with women voters having a slender lead. 

DSGMC president Manjinder Singh Sirsa of the Badal Dal is pitted against the Shiromani Akali Dal Delhi stalwart Harvinder Singh Sarna.

Constituency-wise, the star fight will be for the Punjabi Bagh constituency where the DSGMC president Manjinder Singh Sirsa of the Badal Dal is pitted against the Shiromani Akali Dal Delhi stalwart Harvinder Singh Sarna. This constituency sees a maximum of 12 candidates from amongst all the 46 seats.

Former DSGMC president Manjit Singh GK, who formed his own party Jag Aasra Teri Ott (Jathedar Santokh Singh), faces Charanjit Singh (son of Shaheed Kehar Singh who went to the gallows in the Mrs Indira Gandhi case) of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal).

The Kalkaji constituency will witness only 3 contesting candidates, the lowest among all. Here, neither the Shiromani Akali Dal Delhi nor the Panthik Akali Lehar has fielded any contestant. Harmeet Singh Kalka of Shiromani Akali Dal Badal and current Secretary of DSGMC is facing Hardit SIngh Gobindpuri, spokesperson of Panthak Sewa Dal along with Harjit Singh from Jago Party.

Significantly, the former president Manjit Singh GK, who formed his own party Jag Aasra Teri Ott (Jathedar Santokh Singh), faces Charanjit Singh (son of Shaheed Kehar Singh who went to the gallows in the Mrs Indira Gandhi case) of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal).

Like in many elections for religious, political and social offices, Sikh women’s participation is still minimal, though SGPC has reservations for women. In the current DSGMC polls, there are only 17 women candidates out of a total of 310, which is only 5.48 per cent of the total.

The Jago party has fielded 6, Sikh Sadbhavna Dal 3, Panthak Sewa Dal 2, SAD Badal 1 and no women candidate by SAD Delhi. There are 6 independent women candidates.

Two BJP Delhi Municipal Councillors Paramjit Singh Rana and Amarjit Singh Pappu are also in the fray.

A councillor of the Delhi Municipal Corporation, owing allegiance to the Bharatiya Janata Party -Paramjit Singh Rana, who has since been removed from the party by the Badal Dal, is a Jago Party candidate from the Dev Nagar constituency and Councillor Amarjit Singh Pappu is contesting from Fateh Nagar as a Shiromani Akali Dal Badal nominee.

With electioneering limited to indoor meetings and social media, a cloud of uncertainty shrouds the election as Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has warned of a lockdown. As the climate of elections gets affected, it will be interesting to watch how many of the voters will come out of their homes to cast their franchise.