AMRITSAR, Oct. 14 -- The general house meeting of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has been convened for November 3 to hold the annual election for the posts of the president and other office-bearers. This was decided in the executive committee held on Monday. Apart from the president, senior vice president, junior vice president, general secretary, and 11 executive committee members will be elected in the annual election session to be held at Teja Singh Samundri Hall, headquarters of the organisation. The annual election, which is a crucial event in Panthic politics, will be held a week before the Tarn Taran assembly bypoll scheduled for November 11. Sukhbir Singh Badal-led Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) holds a majority in the SGPC general house, while the opposition camp has made several unsuccessful attempts to dislodge the ruling camp in recent decades. Of the total 191-member House, 170 members are elected by Sikh voters in the general elections, 15 are co-opted, five are sitting (jathedars) heads of Sikh temporal seats, and one is the head granthi of Golden Temple. However, the jathedars and head granthis don't have the right to vote. There are a total of 110 constituencies in Punjab, out of which 47 segments are represented by two members each, while 30 constituencies are reserved for women candidates. Even as a separate Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) has also been formed and is working currently, SGPC members elected from Haryana state are also part of the House and participate in the elections every year. The general elections of the SGPC have not been conducted for 14 years, and in between, nearly 31 members have expired, and two have resigned. SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami, who presided over the meeting, also announced several decisions taken by the gurdwara body regarding the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Teg Bahadur. "The anniversary will be commemorated from November 23 to 29 at Anandpur Sahib in accordance with khalsa traditions, with the main event scheduled for November 25," he said. He added that a nagar kirtan from Gurdwara Matan Sahib (Srinagar) will also be organised in coordination with the J&K lieutenant governor and chief minister, as well as local Sikh leaders. Dhami added that lists of gurdwaras affected by waterlogging in floods are being compiled, and Rs.50,000 each will be disbursed as financial aid. Dhami stated that the SGPC has approved a policy framework to tackle the issue of artificial intelligence (AI)-generated anti-Sikh content. "Anyone creating or sharing videos that disrespect gurbani, Sikh history, religious symbols, or gurdwaras will face strict legal action without pardon," the SGPC chief said. He said a digital task force will also be constituted to counter such anti-Sikh activities, comprising representatives from the SGPC internet department, IT wing, Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University (Sri Fatehgarh Sahib), Khalsa College Patiala, Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College Ludhiana, and Baba Banda Singh Bahadar Engineering College, Sri Fatehgarh Sahib. "The SGPC will also collaborate with major AI technology companies. Further, a digital data bank containing authentic gurbani, Sikh principles, history, and code of conduct would be developed," he said. The executive committee also approved a 3% dearness allowance (DA) increase for SGPC employees and granted approval to upgrade Guru Nanak Khalsa College, Matunga (Mumbai), into a University. Dhami also said that an SGPC delegation under him will visit Patiala Jail on October 14 to meet death-row convict Balwant Singh Rajoana....