Haryana gurdwara polls: Akali Dal to raise voter list ‘irregularities’ with election chief commissioner

Chandigarh: Alleging large-scale irregularities in the voter lists for the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) elections, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Wednesday decided to meet gurdwara elections chief commissioner Justice S S Saron (retd) and apprise him of the complaints it received from the SGPC members.SAD would also seek an extension in time for the registration of fresh voters, with senior party leader Daljit Singh Cheema claiming that a large number of eligible voters were left out of the lists.The decisions were made after SGPC members, led by SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami, held a meeting at the head office of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) under the chairmanship of party working president Balwinder Singh Bhundar and former president of the party Sukhbir Singh Badal. Briefing the media after the meeting, Cheema said, "SGPC members expressed anguish at the large-scale registration of bogus votes in elections to the SGPC as well as incomplete voter lists and called for extending the time period for registration of new voters."Cheema said the meeting put on record "the large-scale manipulation in making voter lists for the SGPC elections, with members showing data to prove how either the lists were inflated with non-Sikhs and even en bloc addition of names from the assembly constituency voter list." Later, while giving details of the meeting, former SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said, "A party delegation would meet Saron on Thursday and apprise him of the complaints vis-a-vis registration of bogus votes. We will also apprise the chief commissioner that the AAP govt is trying to rig the gurdwara elections by inflating the voter lists by registering bogus voters and even voters from other religions. The AAP govt is trying every trick in the trade to include ineligible voters with the purpose of influencing the elections."Cheema, while addressing a press conference after the meeting, said, "The SAD delegation would also apprise the chief commissioner that a thorough scrutiny of the voter lists was needed. We will also appeal for extending the time for registration of fresh voters as a large number of eligible voters are yet to be included."‘Avoid vague statements on drugs'Responding to a question on Congress MLA from Himachal Pradesh Chander Shekhar Thakur reportedly blaming Punjab for drug abuse in Himachal Pradesh, Cheema said, "Drug factories are found in Baddi and blame is put on Punjab. Political statements should not be given against drugs. One should talk with facts. It is not good to talk vaguely on the issue. Already, there was much politics on drugs by Arvind Kejriwal and Congress."