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Gurudwara polls: SAD confident of a win

DSGMC manages gurdwaras and the educational and social institutions associated with them

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Voting for the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) elections took place on Sunday with 45.77 per cent of people coming out to vote, a rise of 2.37 per cent. The results will be declared on March 1.

The 46-member DSGMC House is elected for four years. Being held right ahead of the municipal polls in Delhi, the gurdwara polls are important for Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as well as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

"We are sure that SAD will come back to power again. We will win 40 of 46 seats. The people are happy with all the work done by our commitee," said Parminder Pal Singh from SAD.

Some people complained about the fact that their names were missing from the voters list. During elections in 2013, SAD (Badal) had defeated SAD (Delhi), led by former DSGMC Chief Paramjit Singh Sarana. This time, five different groups fielded their candidates: SAD unit headed by DSGMC President Manjit Singh GK, Paramjit Singh Sarna-led SAD (Delhi) that earlier controlled the DSGMC, Panthak Sewa Dal headed by AAP MLA Avtar Singh from Kalkaji, former Akal Takht Jathedar Bhai Ranjit Singh's Akal Sahai Welfare Society, and former Darbar Sahib Hazoori Ragi Beldev Singh Wadala's Sikh Sadbhawana Dal.

In all, 335 candidates contested for 46 seats, including 184 independent candidates. The Directorate of Gurdwara Elections had set-up around 560 polling stations throughout Delhi, and as many as 25 observers were also appointed and around 3,000 polling officials performed various duties. Of the total 380,091 voters, 192,691 were men and 187,400 accounted for women.

Delhi has nearly 3.75 lakh Sikh population. The DSGMC manages gurdwaras, educational and social institutions associated to them. The city has several gurdwaras of historical significance, including Gurdwara Rakabganj, Bangla Sahib, and Sis Ganj.

The election is held to manage nine historical gurudwaras, and schools, colleges, hospitals affiliated to them.

The House has control over matters related to Sikhs, besides global connections and direct links with the Central government, with an annual budget of Rs 100 crore.

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