Number of Sikhs registering for SGPC elections declines by 50% since last polls in 2011

CHANDIGARH: The number of Sikhs with unshorn hair (keshdhaari) who have registered for the upcoming elections of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the mini-Parliament of Sikhs, has dropped by almost 50 percent since the last elections in 2011. Only around 27.87 lakh voters have registered till July 25, while in the last elections, the number was 52 lakh.

Sources said that as per the data with the gurdwara commission, the highest number of voters registered was in Gurdaspur district at 3.22 lakh, followed by Ludhiana at 3.13 lakh and then Amritsar at 3.02 lakh. The lowest number of voters registered was in SBS Nagar at 25,090 and Pathankot at 26,023.

This is despite the Gurdwara Election Commission thrice extending the last date for registration of voters. The process of registration started last year on 21 October and the last date was 15 November. However, it was extended to 29 February, then extended to April 30 and finally the deadline was set as July 31.

The migration of Sikh youth abroad, disenchantment with SGPC, the flourishing dera culture and tedious process to get registered as a voter are among the reasons cited for this steep fall. Also, this time the Akali Dal hardly took interest in the registration unlike earlier when their workers used to facilitate the process.