New Delhi [India], August 26 : Shiromani Akali Dal on Wednesday won the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) election and got 27 of 46 seats. Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal hailed the victory of his party as “a forceful referendum of Khalsa Panth in favour of the Panthic identity and religious commitment of his party.” “I am also deeply grateful to Sikh Sangat all over the world for the blessings and support we continued to receive. I wish to reiterate my total commitment to the promotion of Panthic ideals,” he said. Badal, who talked to the media and also expressed his views in tweets, said the victory is the “clearest evidence of what the Sikh masses think of SAD’s commitment to the panthic identity, ideals and values,”. “This verdict exposes the falsehood rampantly indulged in by SAD’s opponents,” he added. Badal complimented the Delhi SAD team led by Manjinder Singh Sirsa “for living up to the expectations of the Sikh Sangat and the entire Khalsa Panth throughout the world”. Sirsa lost to Harvinder Singh Sarna of the Akali Dal (Delhi) in Punjabi Bagh by 469 votes. Badal said that Sirsa would be nominated to DSGMC on behalf of SGPC. He said “Sikh Sangat totally rejected the Congress-backed and BJP-sponsored groups”. “BJP via Mr Dhindsa and Mr Manjit Singh GK won 2 out of 46 seats while Congress via Mr Paramjit Singh Sarna won 14 out of 46. This is just the beginning of the storm which will sweep aside both the Congress and AAP in Punjab in the 2022 assembly elections,” he said. He alleged that Congress deputed police officers from Punjab “to help chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s Religious Advisor Paramjit Sarna”. “Our booth managers were intimidated and even raids were conducted on them. A large number of votes polled in favour of the SAD were rejected resulting in the loss of nearly eight seats,” he alleged.
