Kirpal Singh Badungar is the new SGPC president

The general house of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Saturday unanimously elected as president. He replaces Avtar Singh Makkar, who fell apart with the leadership of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) -- which controls the SGPC as well as the state government -- after he failed to the handle the upheaval that erupted after incidents of desecration of Guru Granth Sahib late last year. Makkar stayed on the post for about 10 years

A scholar and former teacher, Badungar was SGPC president for about a year in 2002 too. On Friday, SAD president and Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal had held a meeting with the party’s members of the SGPC to discuss the names of likely president and office-bearers.

Daljit Singh Cheema, SAD spokesman and Punjab education minister, offering sweets to Badungar. (Gurpreet Singh/HT Photo)

New SGPC chief Kirpal Singh Badungar addressed members during SGPC election meeting; sitting next to him on the raised platform is Akal Takht jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh and below it is the outgoing chief Avtar Singh Makkar. (Gurpreet Singh/HT Photo)

Kirpal Singh Badungar and other elected office-bearers of the SGPC at the Golden Temple, Amritsar, on Saturday. (Gurpreet Singh/HT)

Badungar fits into the party’s criteria to have an educated person acceptable to the Sikh diaspora, and also a known non-confrontational leader, especially at a time when the SAD is battling two-term anti-incumbency in the high-stakes assembly polls due in three months’ time.

Besides the new chief, Baldev Singh was elected as senior vice-president, Buta Singh as junior vice-president and Amarjeet Singh Chawla as general secretary.

Executive committee members include Jaipal Singh, Nirmal Singh, Kulwant Singh Manan, Satpal Singh, Balwinder Singh Veinpuin, Baldev Singh Moga, Joginder Kaur, Ram Singh, Gurcharan Singh Grewal, Surjit Singh Kalabula, and Surjit Singh Bhitewad.