Starting tomorrow the process of creating electoral rolls for the next general elections of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) will take place. It will end on November 15.

Previously, the Punjab Gurdwara Election Commissioner added a new section to Form-1 called “self-declaration,” which was intended to help Sikh candidates register to vote.

The new section in the self-declaration annexure reads, “I am a Sikh, I believe in Sri Guru Granth Sahib and 10 Sikh Gurus and follow no other religion,” even though the eligibility requirements remain the same.

Amidst this, voices were raised from various sections demanding that Sikhs connected to any form of “dera” be disqualified from participating in the SGPC elections. The rationale is that, in Sikhism, believers would be entirely devoted to Sri Guru Granth Sahib alone, but in the Dera sect, the leader is a “living being,” and they reject the core tenets of the religion.

The updated forms have taken the place of the outdated ones as per the Additional District Election Officer/Additional Deputy Commissioner, Amritsar. He stated that the applications may be downloaded from the official website or picked up in person by going to the specified offices.

“The applicant may provide the forms with the patwaris of the relevant revenue circle in rural areas. These could be filed in metropolitan areas with selected representatives from panchayats, municipal councils, municipal corporations, and executive officers, the speaker added.

Reportedly the SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami had said the organisation had objected that this provision was missing from the self-declaration. “Adding this is a positive move. However, we fear that thousands of forms must have been obtained by the applicants without this extra provision. If the administration had consulted the SGPC or any other Sikh organisation before distributing the self-declaration form, the error might have been prevented.”

The district administrations are advised by the SGPC to prepare a stamp bearing the most recent clause’s text in order to correct it. This might be completed on the outdated forms and then immediately signed by the candidates.