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Badal faction retains SGPC

By Sarabjit Pandher

The SGPC president, Kirpal Singh Badungar, after he was re-elected on Tuesday.

AMRITSAR Nov. 12. Amid unprecedented security arrangements in the `holy city' of Amritsar, the elections of the president, office-bearers and executive committee members of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) ended peacefully, with the Badal faction retaining its hold without difficulty.

Kirpal Singh Badungar was retained as its chief when he easily defeated Sant veer Singh Madhoke, who was sponsored by the rival Akalis. Mr. Badungar polled 91 votes against Sant Madoke's 68.

In the 190-member house, the five head priests do not have a voting right, while nine members have died since the present house was constituted in 1996. Of the 176 active members, one member abstained, four voters of the Akali faction led by Simranjit Singh Mann, MP, boycotted the polls and, as per the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the votes of 12 members disqualified by the Sikh Gurdwara Judicial Commission (SGJC) were kept in a sealed envelope. The election of his loyalist has come as a shot in the arm for the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief, Parkash Singh Badal, who fought a grim battle for his political survival.

While the elections passed off without any untoward incident despite the high drama that preceded it, the Badal faction nominees also won the posts of senior and junior vice-presidents and general secretary and a majority in the 11-member executive committee. Curfew-like conditions prevailed in the walled city. Shops around the Golden Temple were closed, with the security forces setting up checkpoints all over.

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