Kirpal Singh Badungar, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Punjab Chief Minister and Akali Dal chief Parkash Singh Badal was on Tuesday elected president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee (SGPC), the highest decision making body of the Sikhs.
In a straight contest, Badungar defeated Akali Dal (Mann) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Bhaur. Badungar polled 112 votes against Bhaur's 56.
All the 170 members of the general house of the SGPC were present at the annual election meeting held here in the golden temple complex.
Outgoing president Jagdev Singh Talwandi and Puran Singh Josh tore of their ballot papers to protest the nomination of Badungar, whose name was proposed in a sealed envelope sent from New Delhi by Badal, who is hospitalised there following a surgery. Bureau Report