The Shiromani Akali Dal-Sant Samaj combine on Sunday night headed for a thumping victory in the election to the General House of the SGPC bagging 41 seats so far and leading in 70 others by convincing margins.
The election was held to elect 163 members as the combine had already won seven seats unopposed.
Reports received from elections offices of party nominees said the SAD-Sant Samaj combine had emerged triumphant in 41 seats so far. The combine was leading in 70 other seats by huge margins, the reports said.
However, the results would be declared officially after a final verdict by the Punjab and Haryana high court in the wake of a controversy over not allowing of sehajdhari (non-baptised) Sikhs to exercise their franchise.
Reacting to the poll results, the SAD said the mandate was a lesson to the Congress to refrain from meddling in internal affairs of the Sikhs.
SAD spokesman Daljit Singh Cheema said the Congress would face a humiliating defeat in next year’s state Assembly polls too.
Chief minister Parkash Singh Badal said the outcome was a tremendous rebuff to anti-Sikh forces led by the Congress.
There are 190 members of the General House of which 15 are co-opted.