NRI Sabha Punjab Election, 2024
ONLY 168 Votes Polled Out of 24,000 Members of NRI Sabha Punjab
Los Angeles, Jan 11, 2024
NRIpress.club/Ramesh/ A.Gary Singh
Australian NRI Parvinder Kaur elected new President of NRI Sabha Punjab, 2024
Parvinder Kaur Banga got 117 votes against 14 votes secured by Jasvir Singh Gill
Parvinder Kaur Banga is the first woman elected as President of the NRI Sabha.
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There are three contestants for the post, including two past presidents Jasvir Singh Gill and Kamaljit Hayre, and a first-time woman contestant Parvinder Kaur Banga. |
There are 24,000 members in the NRI sabha, only 168 votes could be polled because of restrictions imposed by the administration.
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Only 285 eligible to vote in NRI Sabha poll
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Many NRIs, who did not bring along their passports, were also not allowed to cast votes.
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Voters from other districts, including Tarn Taran, Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur and Nawanshahr, were not allowed to cast their votes.
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Kirpal Singh Sahota said:
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Some NRIs had been issued fake ID cards and were allowed to vote even as he raked up the issue before the Returning Officer.
Dharna By Ex-President Jasvir S Gill ex-president later alleged that it was not a free and fair election and even sat on dharna at the gate of NRI Sabha office for some time.
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He vacated the place after being told by a police official that he could be booked.
NRI affairs minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal reached the NRI Sabha office to congratulate Parvinder Kaur Banga. He said NRI Sabha would play its role proactively to redress the grievances of the Punjabis settled across the globe.
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AAP MP Sushil Rinku and other leaders also visited NRI Sabha.
Amendment can be set aside this time
This amendment in the bylaws still holds controversy as NRIs had earlier given a representation to the Punjab CM seeking its withdrawal. Since it was not implemented when the elections were last held on March 7, 2020, it can be set aside even this time for a larger participation of the NRI voters. —Kamaljit Singh Hayre, Contestant
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The disappointed members of the sabha today even met Punjab NRI Affairs Minister Kuldeep Dhaliwal and apprised him of the new directive being imposed on them.
The members led by one of the three contestants Jasvir Singh Gill said that they were told that since the provision had been made a part of the sabha bylaws, it would have to be followed.
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Likewise, another contestant Kamaljit Singh Hayre had yesterday given a written submission to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who is the patron of the sabha, demanding that laxity be given with regards to the new provision since all members are lifetime members and that it will be a huge disappointment for some of them who have especially flown down to Jalandhar to cast the vote.
“Nearly 1,625 NRIs had cast their votes in 2013 when I had last become the president. This time it shall be the lowest-ever turn out,” said Gill.
He did not rule out a chance of electing president by unanimity, saying that such an attempt could still be made.
Hayre has outrightly demanded that the new provision be removed.
“This amendment in the bylaws is still in controversy as the NRIs had earlier given a representation to the Punjab CM seeking its withdrawal."
Since it was not implemented when the elections were last held on March 7, 2020, it can be set aside even this time for a larger participation of NRI voters.
Ex-NRI president Kirpal S Sahota could not return to India after elections because of Covid restrictions and the sabha did not have practically any head since 2015 and hence no work like renewal of cards could be done in the last 8-9 years,” he has stated in his submission.
Commissioner, Jalandhar Division-cum-Chairperson of the NRI Sabha Gurpreet Sapra said:
We had given a date by which the members were required to get their cards renewed to be able to exercise their right to vote.
I do not know the exact number of people who got it done. Even if it is less, we cannot change the rule during election time.
Redressal of Grievances of the NRI’s is one of the prime objectives of the NRI sabha Punjab.
NRI SABHA:
On Oct. 27, 1996, was formally inaugurated by the Governor of Punjab, His Excellency Lt. Gen. (Retd) B.K.N. Chhibber.
On March 05, 1998, The Govt. of Punjab gave their approval to the constitution of NRI Sabha Punjab and for its registration
The Sabha was got registered as a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 on March 20, 1998.
The Chief Minister of Punjab is its Chief Patron and he can nominate one or more Patrons of the Sabha.
The Chief Minister Punjab has nominated Minister for NRI Affairs Government of Punjab as Patron of the Sabha.
The Divisional Commissioner Jalandhar Division or the Commissioner NRI Affairs, as the Govt. deem fit, is the Chairman of NRI Sabha.
The Divisional Commissioners in the State of Punjab are the Divisional Chairmen of the Sabha.
The President of NRI Sabha is elected by the NRI Members after every 2 years.
Only an ex-NRI not affiliated to any Political Party can stand for election of President.
The Officers/Officials are appointed under the orders of President in consultation with the Chairman work in Central Sabha Office under the immediate supervision of President.
The Distt. Units of NRI Sabha are in existence in the Districts namely Jalandhar, Nawanshahr, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Ropar, Mohali, Moga, Sangrur &Barnala and Patiala.
The DCs are the Chairmen of Distt. Units.
The President of Distt. Unit is also elected after every 2 years with the condition where the strength of members of Distt.
Unit is less than 100, the Distt. President is nominated by the DC-cum-Chairman without holding the election
Parvinder Kaur Banga spent 20 years in Melbourne, has been spreading
across her agenda of starting reverse migration to Punjab.
I spent my prime time in Australia and I chose to return to my native place Hoshiarpur
where now I have set up a health unit.
This is the message that I shall be giving out to all my NRI brethren
to be attached to home town.
At the same time, I shall be working in tandem with the Punjab Government, ensuring proper implementation of policies that will
create more interest and encourage investments here again as it did in the 1990s and early 2000
Parvinder Kaur Banga is the first woman contestant to the NRI Sabha 2024 election and she has the support of some AAP leaders.
Sources: News Media and NRI Sabha Members-x
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