SAD to consider contesting in Sikh-dominated seats in UP, MP, U’khand, Rajasthan
Amritsar: Punjab’s ruling Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday said his party would seriously consider fielding candidates in assembly polls in Sikh-dominated areas of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh.
Badal said Shiromani Akali Dal has already its MLA in Haryana and it had contested seats in Delhi assembly elections and now the party would take a call that whether it should put up its candidates on those seats where Sikh population was in dominance “to fulfill the aspirations of Sikhs”.
He said SAD would fight the next assembly elections in Delhi on its own symbol.
To a question of sharing of seats with BJP in Delhi assembly elections, Badal said SAD’s relationship with BJP was “an emotional and integral one which was far beyond the question of seats”.
To a question regarding the possibility of Narendra Modi being projected as BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate, Badal said SAD had been consistent on its line that it would go with the choice of NDA on this issue.
Asked about Moga assembly bye-election, Badal said he was sure that SAD candidate Joginder Pal Jain would win with a “record” margin.
Addressing the newly-elected members of Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee, Badal said the election was a “lesson for all of us that we all have to act as humble servants of Sikh community and power vested in us by Waheguru (the Almighty) should not go into our head”.
He said “Sarnas lost these elections just because of arrogance and we have to take a lesson from the defeat of Sarnas”.
Outlining the agenda of newly-elected committee, he said the panel should work from day one for introducing all steps needed for transparency in its working and financial management.
He said the committee would soon constitute an education board to properly manage schools and colleges being run by the committee.
Badal said Shiromani Akali Dal was committed to fulfilling all promises made to electorate in its manifesto.
Badal said the committee has decided to start functioning after seeking blessings from Harmandir Sahib and after bowing to the supremacy of the Akal Takht Sahib, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs.
Earlier, the newly-elected members of DSGMC, accompanied by Bikram Singh Majithia, President Youth Akali Dal, and Avtar Singh Makkar, President SGPC, paid obeisance at the sanctum sanctorum of Harmandir Sahib