Chandigarh: In what could be a pointer towards an alarming trend in Punjab, the number of keshdhaari (Sikhs with unshorn hair) who have registered themselves for the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) elections has dropped by almost 50 percent since 2011.
Despite the Gurdwara Election Commission twice extending the last date for registration of voters, the total number registered till Thursday was 27.45 lakh. When the last SGPC elections were held in 2011, there were over 52 lakh voters from Punjab. The last date for registration of voters is 30 April.
Sikh experts have explained the trend as a reflection of the SGPC’s diminishing significance among the Sikhs, apart from the impact of conversions, migration and the flourishing dera culture in Punjab. The SGPC, on the other hand, said indifference is not a solution to anything and Sikhs must accept their responsibility towards their religion.
According to the data gathered by ThePrint from the Gurdwara Election Commission, Chandigarh, women comprise about 15 lakh of voters while the remaining 12.45 lakh are men. The general category voters are over 22 lakh while the rest belong to scheduled castes. Among the SC voters which number over 5.4 lakh, women are in majority at 3 lakh.
The least number of votes, less than 4,000, is registered at Naushera Panuana followed by Balachaur where 7,000 Sikhs have registered as voters. On the Khadoor Sahib seat, 8,355 votes have been registered followed by Kotkapura (11,400), Kartarpur (11,450), Adampur (11,700), and Moga (12,000).
The highest number of voters is registered at Dhariwal where this number has touched almost 65,000. Sri Hargobindpur comes second with almost 58,500 voters. A large number of voters have also been registered at Dera Baba Nanak (55,000), Gurdaspur (54,000), Kala Afgana (49,500), Bhadaur (47,000), Anandpur Sahib (46,500), Barnala (44,000), and Chananwal (43,000).
The SGPC elections are carried out by the Gurdwara Election Commission set up by the Government of India. The process of registration of voters started last year on 21 October and the last date was 15 November. However, it was extended to 29 February. The task of registration is carried out by patwaris and block-level officers.
Every Sikh adult in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh with unshorn hair is eligible to vote for the 159 elected members of the SGPC from the state. While 157 members are elected from Punjab, two members are elected in Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh respectively.
The SGPC, the apex body of the Sikhs, is considered to be a mini parliament with 179 members. Other than 159 elected members, 15 members are cooped and another 6 members include the jathedars of the five holy takhts (setas of power) and the head granthi of the Golden Temple. The 159 members are democratically elected through direct elections by registered voters using secret ballots.
Till 2022, the total number of elected members was 160 which included 11 from Haryana. However, following orders of the Supreme Court, Haryana has formed its own SGPC and is expected to hold its own elections.
Usually, the elections are held every five years. However, due to extended litigation over multiple issues, elections have not been held since 2016 when they were last due. The members elected in 2011 continue to hold their posts.
Extending the date of registration of voters from 29 February to 30 April, the Gurdwara Election Commission wrote to the deputy commissioners on 27 February, saying that the registration was “somewhat slow as many eligible voters have not desired their registration as voters.”
“This strike and agitation by the revenue patwaris who are the competent persons to register the voters under Rule 3 of these Sikh Gurdwara Board Election Rules 1959 has affected the process of registration of voters. The recent agitation of farmers has also affected the registration of voters,” it wrote.
“More publicity is also required to motivate the persons eligible to vote to get themselves registered as voters. Beside some administrative steps like asking the block level officers to be proactive in getting votes registered is also required.”
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What scholars say
Punjab scholars have largely blamed the SGPC and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) for what they term as “growing indifference” towards these elections.
Dharam Singh, former professor at the Department of Sikh Studies, Punjabi University, Patiala, told ThePrint that quantitative democracy does not fit in religious affairs where the guiding principles of choosing people should be moral and ethical values, not a head count.
“The fact that the number of voters has gone down reflects the frustration of the people is more with the Akali Dal than with the SGPC, as it is largely believed that the Akali Dal uses the SGPC for its political ends. The Akali Dal was the political wing of the SGPC when it was set up in the 1920s. The SAD was a Panthic party till 1996 when they converted into a Punjabi party as part of a political strategy,” said Singh, who recently authored the book, ‘Sikhism Today: Precepts and Perceptions’.
“Since then, the Akali Dal has had several non-Sikhs in its executive. They have no right to contest the SGPC elections as a Panthic party. Their candidates should contest as Independents. If things have to change, the SGPC has to be more independent and its dignity restored,” he added.
Jagrup Singh Sekhon, former professor at Department of Political Science, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar told ThePrint that there was a time when the Akali Dal was the strong spine of the SGPC and that the SGPC dominated Sikh affairs.
“Now it is the other way round. Till the time Gurcharan Singh Tohra was heading the SGPC, it was an independent centre of power that balanced the political power commanded by the Akali Dal. However, now it is controlled by the party, which in turn is controlled by a chosen few. One of the reasons that people are not interested in participating in the elections is because there is a trust deficit in the institution of the SGPC, which is no longer seen as a source of inspiration but a political extension of the SAD,” Sekhon said.
He added that the number of voters has declined also because there is a general lack of adherence to the tenets of Sikhism. “The sense of belonging to the religion has reduced; there is also a large-scale outward migration of the Sikh population; conversion into Christianity by the lower section of Sikh society and derawaad (dera culture) are the other reasons for the decline in votes.”
Satwinder Singh Dhillon, who retired as the principal of the Khalsa College, Garhdiwala and has authored the book, ‘SGPC elections and the Sikh politics’, said questions are be raised about the significance of the SGPC as an institution because it is not looked upon as an independent body anymore.
“People are losing interest in these institutions. The Akali Dal’s existence is at stake, and the SGPC is considered to be its subsidiary. For Sikhs, religion used to be the top priority and politics used to be secondary. Now, it is the other way round,” said Dhillon. “Modernity, social media too has had its impact on the Sikh youth. Conversion to Christianity is also playing a role.”
SGPC Dharam Prachar Committee general secretary Sukhdev Singh told ThePrint that while there was a lot of criticism about the role being played by the SGPC, there is very little that is suggested by way of solution.
“SGPC is a unique institution and has a history which is over 100 years. Elections to the SGPC were held when elections to democratic institutions in the country were curtailed due to British rule. When the first elections were held in 1927, the SGPC was the first to give voting rights to women,” he said.
“These principles of democracy are still held dear by the SGPC. It also gives the right to the people to participate in the day-to-day affairs of their religion, in the management of their gurdwaras. It is for the people to be aware of their rights, feel empowered and participate in the election process. The solution does not lie in being indifferent to religion but to increase participation. We have become experts in Khandan (criticism) but we should also do mandan (give solutions). The solution lies in the faith — that the Sikh has in our Gurus and religion and just follow that,” Sukhdev Singh asserted.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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