In an Open Letter to Delhi Sikh leaders, Harmeet Singh Kalka, Jagdeep Singh Kahlon, Paramjeet Singh Sarna, and Manjit Singh GK, WSN editor Jagmohan Singh seeks answers about democratic accountability and wonders whether the forthcoming DSGMC elections, whenever held, will be a contest for the Sikh Sangat’s mandate or merely a pastime ignoring Sangat’s interests.

Sardar Sahib Jio,

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa! Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!

I am deeply disturbed, disappointed and somewhat perplexed at your collective silence over the extraordinary decline in the number of registered Sikh voters in Delhi. All four of you have spent years in Sikh public life. Two of you presently control the affairs of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, while the other two have occupied its highest office in the recent past. Surely, you cannot be unaware of what is happening to the very electorate from which you derive, or hope to derive, your authority.

Delhi Sikh politics never suffers from a shortage of leaders, claimants, factions, ambitions or declarations of service to the Panth. What it appears to be suffering from, rather inexplicably, is a shortage of voters. More astonishingly, the very gentlemen who compete so energetically for the opportunity and privilege of managing Sikh institutions appear remarkably unperturbed that the electorate from which they derive their authority has shrunk so drastically. It reeks of an unspoken political understanding on this issue.

Delhi’s Sikh electorate numbered 3,86,562 in 2017 and 3,42,065 in 2021. In October 2026, statistics show it at 1,88,200. In other words, approximately 1,53,865 voters are missing from the rolls compared to 2021. Nearly half the electorate has vanished from the rolls in five years. No investigation was done in 2021, nor has anything been done since early 2026. There is no visible political commotion proportionate to the seriousness of this decline. Surely, gentlemen, this merits more attention than the question of which faction will occupy the DSGMC headquarters.

Delhi Sikh politics is notorious for disagreements, allegations, counter-allegations and competing claims to Panthic service. This is an extraordinary consensus of silence. Does this not disturb anyone?” Those governing with their cavalier attitude are not visibly agitated. The former DSGMC leadership is not restless. Ironically, Delhi Sikh politics has leaders in abundance- at the DSGMC level and the region-wise Singh Sabha level- but apparently voters are dwindling.

It is not unreasonable to expect the Sikh leadership to demand an examination into this rut. Have many Sikhs have migrated, failed to register, been excluded through procedural requirements, or simply been left outside the democratic process? Surely someone entrusted with the community’s interests should be curious enough to find out.

I understand that this decline may involve non-registration due to the apathy of the Sangat, lack of interest due to loss of faith in leadership, procedural deficiencies on behalf of the Directorate of Gurdwara Elections and the quite underhanded intervention of the Lieutenant Governor’s office and political conspiracy by the Delhi State Minister in charge of Gurdwara Elections. All that may be so, but what surprises me is that none of you appears sufficiently alarmed to demand a comprehensive public enquiry and explanation.

Sardar Kalka and Sardar Kahlon Ji, under your stewardship, the DSGMC manages historic Gurdwaras, educational institutions, and an extensive network that reaches Sikh families across Delhi. You have the means to inform, mobilise and assist the community. What prevented you from undertaking a sustained voter-registration drive? How many registration camps were organised? How many ward-wise discrepancies were identified? What steps did you take to help elderly Sikhs and those unfamiliar with registration procedures? Were registration camps organised for the first-time 18-year-olds and elderly voters? Please tell the Sangat what you have done, rather than leave everyone guessing.

Sardar Sarna and Sardar Manjit Singh GK Ji, both of you have occupied the DSGMC presidency and understand its functioning intimately.  You rightfully and regularly question the functioning of the present leadership. I am deeply perturbed that the staggering decline in the Sikh electorate has not become a major issue in the political discourse. Over the past months, I have not seen any documented objections, public campaigns, demands for ward-wise scrutiny of the voters lists and sustained efforts to restore confidence in the DSGMC rolls.

A young Sikh lawyer, deeply disturbed at the turn of events, shared his anger, “What a remarkable election it promises to be: ambitious candidates, elaborate campaigns, contested leadership—and an electorate reduced almost by half.”

What bothers me most is the mockery that the forthcoming DSGMC elections threaten to become. Candidates will seek nominations, factions will announce alliances, manifestos will promise Panthic glory and familiar faces will seek the blessings of the Sangat. There will be speeches, posters, accusations and perhaps even the customary exchange of unpleasantness. Who will explain why an electorate of more than 3.42 lakh in 2021 has dwindled to 1.88 lakh today?

The Sikh Gurdwara Reform Movement was a struggle for freeing Sikh institutions from unaccountable control and placing their management in representative hands. The DSGMC is a representative Sikh institution, and its legitimacy rests upon the widest possible participation of eligible Sikh voters. An election may satisfy procedural requirements and yet leave serious questions about the inclusiveness of its mandate.

With the next court hearing scheduled for 5 December 2026, there is still time for a collective intervention. I strongly suggest that an elaborate exercise be conducted to examine the publication of comparative ward-wise electoral rolls, explanations for non-inclusions, details of claims and objections, and a time-bound opportunity for eligible Sikhs to register.

It is easy to pass the buck to the Sikh Sangat. I know the Sangat is careless. You need to find reasons for that attitude. I know that the Directorate does not publish appeals in Punjabi or in regular newspapers. You need to follow up with the concerned authorities. The area-wise Singh Sabhas are as nonchalant as the state Sikh leadership. Please conduct a mass contact and outreach program to encourage Sikhs to register to vote for the forthcoming DSGMC elections.

It is time to initiate and lead the campaign from the front to achieve full registration of the Sikh electorate, not only compared with the past electorate but also with the projected Census of Sikhs after the 2011 census. There is no need to hide behind the façade that the voter registration period is over. Now is the time to file objections, fill in the form and get votes registered. As per the Delhi Sikh Gurdwaras Act 1971 and rules thereunder, by filing objections, it is still possible to register fresh voters.

“What a splendid democratic achievement it would be if Delhi’s Sikh leaders, even at this last leg, succeeded in enhancing the participation of eligible Sikh voters!

Perplexed and concerned,

Jagmohan Singh
Editor, World Sikh News