SGPC voter registration deadline extended for fourth time amid declining numbers
PTC Web Desk: The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has extended the voter registration deadline for the fourth time, now allowing eligible Sikhs to register until September 16.
This extension comes in the wake of a significant decline in the number of registered voters with unshorn hair (keshdhaari), which has dropped by nearly 50% since the last SGPC elections in 2011.
As of July 25, approximately 27.87 lakh voters have registered, a stark contrast to the 52 lakh registered in the previous elections. The highest number of registered voters are from Gurdaspur (3.22 lakh), Ludhiana (3.13 lakh), and Amritsar (3.02 lakh). On the other hand, the lowest numbers are from SBS Nagar (25,090) and Pathankot (26,023).
The Gurdwara Election Commission has repeatedly extended the registration deadline, initially set for November 15, then extended to February 29, April 30, and finally to July 31 before the latest extension.
Notably, the SGPC comprises 179 members, including 159 elected members (157 from Punjab, 1 from Chandigarh, and 1 from Himachal Pradesh), 15 co-opted members, and six others, including the jathedars of the five Takhts and the Head Granthi of Sri Harmandir Sahib.
Until 2022, the SGPC included 11 members from Haryana. However, following the Supreme Court orders, Haryana has formed its own committee.
Elections to the SGPC are supposed to be held every five years, but have been delayed since 2011 due to extended litigation over multiple issues.
- With inputs from our correspondent
