Besides 40 elected members, nine will be nominated by the newly elected governing body. All 49 members will then pick the office-bearers, including the president. Jagdish Jhinda, a newly elected member of HSGPC tendered his resignation on Monday. While tendering the resignation, Jhinda said that he takes responsibility for defeat of his party. He added that of the 21 candidates who contested under his banner of his group, only nine had won the election, and that he is in no position to bring the Independent candidates to get majority. “We had struggled for over 22 years to get a separate Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee for Haryana. During the elections, people used to say that they will vote for those who had struggled for the HSGMC, but the results were different. I take the responsibility of the loss. I will stay out from the committee and work for the Sikh community (Panth) and the farmers,” Jhinda said. 2.45 lakh electors cast their vote out of a total of 3.50 lakh, recording a turnout of 69.85 per cent. The voting was conducted using electronic voting machines (EVMs) and NOTA was also an option. As per the results compiled by Gurdwara Election Commission (GEC) 21 independents have won. One indepdent was elected unopposed earlier, resulting in a total of 22 victorious independents. Former Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal said that the public yesterday gave a clear message with the results of Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (HSGPC) elections. “Those with big powers, who will interfere in the Sikh religion, will be thrown out. Baljit Singh Daduwal and others, who have lost the election, are men of agencies. They destroyed the atmosphere in Punjab and Haryana too. Daduwal and others were behind the split of SGPC and formation of the HSGPC. This is a clear message to these powers that do not interfere in any religion matters. Let the pubic take their decisions,” he said.
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