

:dateline:The Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) ad-hoc panel senior vice-president Didar Singh Nalvi has announced to openly support the Congress party in the upcoming Assembly elections in the state.
While speaking with the press, Nalvi said, �The HSGMC has agreed to back the Congress principally in the elections as the party kept its promise of forming a separate gurdwara body for the state.� He added that �The HSGMC is likely to call a meeting of its members within a couple of days to discuss the strategy for campaign.�
HSGMC president Jagdish Singh Jhinda said,��The Congress fulfilled the long-pending demand of the Haryana Sikhs at a time when some parties did their best to desist the formation of the separate committee. The HSGMC will factor in this point before taking a stand. We are awaiting the announcement of elections,� he said.
The state has sizable population of Sikhs, numbering nearly 200,000�and they can play a key role in multi-cornered contests. As per experts, Sikh voters could influence in nearly 30 Assembly segments of Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Ambala and Karnal, and Sirsa districts.