With the Delhi Assembly elections just two days away, it can easily be said that the established Sikh leadership has, this time around, let down the Sikh masses in Delhi, failing to field candidates and build their say in the capital city of India with the Sikh participation in the Delhi Assembly elections at its lowest ebb.

THE AKALI LEADERSHIP, WHICH MANAGES THE DSGMC -Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee has failed to give any direction to the Sikh masses, especially in areas where Sikhs are in large numbers where Sikhs look up to Sikh leaders.

After his brash outburst of not contesting elections on the ground of opposition to CAA, maverick legislator and DSGMC President Manjinder Singh Sirsa did a drastic turnaround on the diktat of his party and is now seen campaigning for BJP candidates all across the city-state of Delhi.

The lies of the Akali Dal are out of the bag. They held a public posture that they are not contesting because they want Muslims to be included as beneficiaries in the CAA.  The truth is far from this.

All along the Akali Dal has been harbouring the desire of contesting elections in Delhi and Haryana on its own symbol and create a foothold among Sikhs in these states. However, this time around, knowing that public sentiment is against them, over three days, they bargained with the BJP leadership that they would contest on the BJP symbol so that they would get non-Sikh votes and the Sikh vote, even if small in number, would get marginalised. Obviously, this proposal bargained by Prem Singh Chandumajra and others of the second-rung from Punjab was turned down by the BJP leadership.  So much for Sikh interests!

The Shiromani Akali Dal has toed the BJP line. The Jago Dal went to sleep before it could arise. The Taksali Akali Dal is on a swing, not knowing what to do. The Delhi Akali Dal is silent.”

The Jaago Dal of Manjit Singh GK went to sleep before it could arise.  Though he put up a brave face in the wake of his inglorious ouster from the Shiromani Akali Dal in a manicured manoeuvre by Sukhbir Singh Badal and Manjinder Singh Sirsa, he has now decided to join them in supporting the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Delhi Assembly elections along with them.  He will again start his anti-Badal rhetoric soon after the elections with an eye on the Sikh vote for the DSGMC elections in the near future.

The Taksali Akali Dal led by Ranjit Singh Brahmpura is on a swing, not knowing what to do. They see a non-Taksali Navjot Singh Sidhu as their next leader of Punjab. Through their silence, they have acknowledged their lack of presence in Delhi and also their impotence in rallying Sikhs around them.

Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa lost an opportunity to emerge as an alternative leader by holding the sphere in the Delhi Assembly elections. He just managed to save his skin as he came too close to supporting the BJP, but at the last-minute better sense prevailed.

The Delhi Akali Dal leader Paramjit Singh Sarna has been wooed by the BJP and AAP during the Delhi polls. Known for his Panthic stance, despite his close affinity to the non-BJP political parties in Delhi, this time around, he has decided to give the Delhi Assembly elections a miss.

Even those well-intentioned Sikhs, who attempted to emerge as alternative leadership at the Gurdwara and Sikh institutions management levels have not made any noise during the Delhi Assembly elections.

Undoubtedly, new leadership will emerge in this vacuum. However, when the DSGMC elections come, Sikhs in Delhi will have to buckle up and stand up to the leaders who have now left them in the lurch -leaderless and clueless.