Voting for the two-day election of Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) has concluded.
The polling began at 10am on Wednesday, and continued until 5pm on Thursday, with a one-hour break observed each afternoon. According to official figures, 1,771 voters cast their ballots on the first day, while 2,277 voted on the second day, bringing the total number of votes cast to 4,048.
A total of 41 candidates contested for 14 positions in the election. Out of 11,097 registered lawyer voters, the turnout was distributed across three main panels.
These included the pro-government (BNP) supported Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Oikya Panel (Blue Panel), the opposition (Jamaat-e-Islami) supported Ainjibi Oikya Panel (Green Panel), and the Red-Green Panel supported by the National Citizen Party (NCP).
Notably, supporters of the Awami League were unable to participate in the election following a decision by the association’s Special General Meeting, as the party’s activities are currently banned under anti-terrorism laws.
Although Awami League supporters submitted nomination papers, they were cancelled during the scrutiny process.
Panel details and candidates
The BNP-backed Blue Panel featured AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon as the presidential candidate and Mohammad Ali for the post of secretary.
Other candidates from this panel included Md Magfur Rahman Sheikh and Md Shahjahan (vice-presidents), Md Ziaur Rahman (treasurer), and Maksud Ullah and Mohammad Shamsul Islam Mukul (assistant secretaries).
Their member candidates were AKM Amjad Hossain, HM Shanjid Siddique, Md Kabir Hossain, Md Tipu Sultan, Md Zia Uddin Mia, Ripon Kumar Baruah, and Wahida Afroz Chowdhury.
The Jamaat-e-Islami-backed Green Panel fielded Abdul Baten for President and AKM Rezaul Karim Khandaker for Secretary.
Their lineup also included Md Abdul Huq and Moin Uddin Farooqui (Vice-Presidents), SM Jahangir Alam (Treasurer), and Md Tariqul Islam and Jobayer Ahmed Bhuiyan (Assistant Secretaries).
Member candidates for the Green Panel included Azim Uddin Patwari, Farzana Khanum, Israt Jahan Oni, Mahmudul Hasan, Md Faizullah, Md Jobayer Tayeb, and Mohammad Naim Uddin Likhon.
The NCP-supported Red-Green Panel contested with a partial list, featuring SM Azmal Hossain for Secretary and Mostafa Asgar Sharif for Assistant Secretary. Their member candidates included Amina Akter Lovely, Kazi Akbar Ali, Md Bon-e-Amin, and Mohammad Mazharul Islam.
Several candidates contested independently outside of the main panels.
Yunus Ali Akhand vied for the presidency, while Farhad Uddin Bhuiyan, Md Abu Yahya Dulal, Md Omar Faruque, and Mohammad Ashraf Uz-Zaman Khan contested for the post of Secretary. Md Jobayer Tayeb and Tapan Kumar Das also ran as independent candidates for member positions.
