The ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is gearing up to hold organisational polls to elect new office-bearers, including the party president.
The poll schedule was announced by SAD president and Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on Wednesday. “The organisational poll process would begin on August 1 and culminate on August 30 with a general delegates’ session to elect the party president and other office bearers,” SAD secretary and spokesman Daljit Singh Cheema said. Meetings for the selection of delegates at the circle, district and State levels would be held between August 1 and 10, Cheema said.
The last intra-party polls in the SAD was held on January 31, 2008, when Sukhbir Singh Badal was unanimously elected as party president. Already, a recruitment drive to enroll primary members into the Akali Dal, which began on March 25, has successfully concluded. “Recruitment drive to enroll primary members of the party was started on March 25 and after successful completion of the process at base level, the process for election of the circle, district and State delegates as well as organisational structure has been initiated,” he added.
“For the elections at the circle and district level along with election of the State delegates, the observers already appointed by the party for the various districts would act as observers. They have been requested to complete the necessary formalities and submit the final list of delegates by August 14,” Cheema said, adding that a total of 445 delegates are elected at the State level in Punjab.
“As per the party constitution, one circle delegate is elected for every 100 general members, 25 circle level members elect a district delegate and State level delegates are elected by the district level delegates and number of these state level delegates is fixed for every district and a total of 445 delegates are elected for the State level,” he added. The party also recruits members from Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir and has members at the international level as well, Cheema said.