AMRITSAR: Gobind Singh Longowal was reelected unopposed as the president of the Sikhs’ largest representative body, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee ( SGPC ), during the general house meeting of the committee at Teja Singh Samundari Hall here on Tuesday.Former SGPC president Bibi Jagir Kaur proposed the name of Logowal, which was seconded by former chief Avtar Singh Makkar. In the absence of any opposition, Longowal was announced as president of SGPC with slogans of ‘Bole So Nihal’.Born on October 18, 1956, and a postgraduate in Punjabi, Longowal was first elected as the 42nd president of SGPC on November 29, 2017. He had been a close associate of former Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Harchand Singh Longowal. A two-time MLA and a former minister in Punjab government, Longowal has, in the past, served as the chairman of Markfed.SGPC has 191 members, including fifteen co-opted and six high priests. Nine SGPC members have passed away, while another two, Sucha Singh Langah and Sharanjit Singh, have already submitted their resignations.In all, 153 members unanimously elected Longowal as the president. Opposition members of Panthic Front, including SGPC former general secretary Sukhdev Singh Bhaur and Baba Gurpreet Singh Randhawa, boycotted the election despite being present in the SGPC complex.As general house proceedings began, SGPC members Balwinder Singh Bains , who is also an MLA of Lok Insaaf Party (LIP), and Mohinder Singh Hussainpura insisted on including the agenda of discussion on desceration of Guru Granth Sahib in Bargari, Faridkot, and police firing in Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan, in the miscellaneous items. As the demand was turned down, Bains left the house in protest while raising slogans.Raghujit Singh Virk, Bikram Singh Channo and Gurbachan Singh Karmowala were elected as senior vice-president, juninor vice-president and general secretary of SGPC, respectively. When asked why Bains and Hussainpura were not allowed to speak, Longowal told newspersons: “There is a maryada (code of conduct). Accordingly, a member is allowed to speak in the house. Both of them were adamant on including resolution for discussion on desecration of Guru Granth Sahib, even when condolences messages were being read out. Such resolutions can be introduced only after election of office-bearers.”He said both of them didn’t even show respect to Guru Granth Sahib when they left the house raising slogans.Longowal thanked SAD patron Parkash Singh Badal and his son and party chief, Sukhbir Singh Badal for picking him for the post for the second time. SAD-aligned SGPC members had unanimously authorized party president Sukhbir to appoint office-bearers of his choice.Bhaur said his party, the Panthic Front, did not contest the polls for SGPC office-bearers because of the “present situation”. He said the front had appealed to Sikhs to make their respective SGPC members answerable to Panth.

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