Chandigarh- A Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) delegation led by Working President Balwinder Singh Bhundar, former President Sukhbir Singh Badal and SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami today met Gurdwara Elections chief commissioner Justice (retd) S S Saron and requested him to extend the process for registration of voters for the Shiromani Committee elections to March 31 besides weeding out all bogus votes.
While presenting the memorandum to the chief commissioner, Mr Sukhbir Badal informed Justice Saron that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had directed booth level officers to register votes en mass from voter lists due to which thousands of non- Sikhs had been given the voting right for the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak (SGPC) elections. He said besides this genuine votes were being deleted even as bogus votes were being added as part of the conspiracy to take over control of the SGPC by hook or by crook. Mr Badal urged the chief commissioner to issue directions for the review of all voter lists so that bogus votes could be weeded out. He also appealed for extending the time period for making new votes saying a large number of eligible voters had still been left out from the election process. Mr Badal also gave the example of Himachal Pradesh where the voter list had also not been made till now.
Later while briefing newsmen about the memorandum, Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said the SAD stood for registration of genuine voters but it was condemnable that the AAP government was coming in the way of this exercise. He said the situation was such that thousand of non- Sikhs who had not applied to be registered as voters for the elections had been given this right. He said the delegation had also apprised the chief commissioner about the Sikh rehat maryada under which it was compulsory to suffix Singh or Kaur with Sikh names. “We have submitted voter lists to the Commission in which the names of voters are in contravention to the Sikh rehat maryada.
SAD Working president Balwinder Singh Bhundar said the delegation had also requested the Gurdwara Elections to direct the government to ensure rules governing registration of voters was adhered to strictly.
The delegation included Hira Singh Gabhria, Amarjit Singh Chawla and Arshdeep Singh Kler.