DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

The Shiromani Akali Dal initiated its new membership drive from Muktsar on Monday with senior leader Sukhbir Singh Badal receiving the first membership slip at Badal village.

SAD working president Balwinder Singh Bhundar commenced the membership drive from the party headquarters here by handing over membership copies to senior leader Maheshinder Singh Grewal and Suchha Singh Langah.

Speaking to reporters in Badal village about the membership drive, Badal said, "The response on the very first day is amazing. We expect more than 40,000 people to enlist as members from Lambi constituency alone. I am confident that the party will be able to enlist around 50 lakh members as part of the one-month drive."

Bhundar said the party's parliamentary board met on Monday to discuss the entire process and it was decided that the chief election officer Gulzar Singh Ranike would monitor the entire membership drive in consultation with the observers who had already been appointed.

"All efforts are being undertaken to ensure the entire drive is conducted in a completely transparent manner," he said.

Senior SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema said it was decided that the drive would continue till February 20 and elections to the post of party president would be held on March 1. Explaining the entire process, Cheema said those who enrolled 100 members into the party would be eligible to become 'circles delegates' and they in turn would elect the 'circle Jathedars'.

"All those who enrol 2,500 delegates will become district delegates and it would be the latter's responsibility to elect the 'Zila Jathedars'. Each constituency will nominate four delegates who would form the general house and would elect the president of the party," said Cheema.

Meanwhile, dissident party leader Gurpartap Singh Wadal met Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh in Amritsar and stressed that the December 2 'tankhah' (religious punishment) of the highest temporal seat of Sikhs on SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal should be implemented fully.

He also met Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) chief Harjinder Singh Dhami over the issue.

Wadala had earlier expressed resentment against the SAD leadership for not complying with the December 2 Akal Takht edict.

While pronouncing the punishment for Sukhbir Badal and other leaders for the "mistakes" committed by the SAD and its government in Punjab from 2007 to 2017, the Akal Takht had also formed a seven-member committee to start the membership drive and hold elections for the post of party president and other office bearers within six months.

However, the SAD working committee on January 10 formed a panel to oversee the membership drive, which started on January 20. Though the working committee of SAD retained five members from the Akal Takht-appointed seven-member committee for the party's restructuring, it left out Wadala and Satwant Kaur.

The seven-member committee comprised Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Harjinder Singh Dhami, former SGPC chief Kirpal Singh Badhungar, SAD leader Iqbal Singh Jhunda, rebel leader Gurpartap Singh Wadala, MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali, Santa Singh Umaidpur and Satwant Kaur.

(editor@dailyworld.in)