Sukhbir calls meeting to decide on new president

Syed Ali Ahmed

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 15

The Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) president Sukhbir Singh Badal has called a meeting on January 17 of the DSGMC members and other senior leaders of the party to know their views to elect new president of the committee replacing Manjit Singh GK, who led the committee for the last six consecutive years.

GK has resigned following allegations of financial irregularities against him saying that he would not enjoy any post in DSGMC until he is cleared from all the charges.

Besides DSGMC members, core committee members — B S Bhundar, in-charge of Delhi affairs and Prem Singh Chandu Majra, MP and other prominent faces will attend the meeting, sources said.

The sources said that the challenge is that the new DSGMC president must be of equal weightage as GK, in whose leadership SAD Badal has won general elections twice in 2013 and 2017 defeating SAD (Delhi) led by Sarna brothers, who were ruling then DSGMC for 13 years.

As per the sources, while selecting the president's name, the party will also consider the general election 2021 as it needs a face acceptable to the Sikhs of Delhi.

In February 2017, the SAD Badal had won the DSGMC election bagging 35 of 46 seats without the help of party high command, though in the assembly election in Punjab held on February 4, 2017, the party was defeated badly being pushed on third position. This is reportedly the power of GK that forces party high command to think twice before deciding his replacement, the sources said.

The election of the president and other executive members will be held on January 19. The party has already announced that it will replace all sitting executive members.

The sources said that name of Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Avtar Singh Hit, Harmanjit Singh, Harmeet Singh Kalka, M P S Chadha and Harnderpal Singh are being discussed in party circle for the post. Sukhbir has also discussed with GK to decide his replacement.