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Published : 21 May 2026, 02:18 PM
Only pro-BNP lawyers are casting their ballots in the executive committee elections of the local bar association following a total boycott by the pro-Jamaat panel.
Voting began at 9am on Thursday at the Chittagong District Bar Association building auditorium, drawing active participation from the BNP-backed Jatiotabadi Ainjibi Forum.
The Jamaat-e-Islami-aligned Oikkobodho Ainjibi Parishad completely shunned the polls and launched a protest rally near the Sonali Bank square near Chittagong Court building around 12:30pm.
Earlier in the morning, BNP-aligned lawyers were seen stationed in the same vicinity.
Chief Election Commissioner Roushan Ara Begum noted during the afternoon that voting has been proceeding peacefully since the morning without any disruptions.
Oikkobodho Ainjibi Parishad Chief Coordinator Shamsul Alam said his faction has boycotted the process entirely, adding that their general voters are staying away from the booths while the forum stages demonstrations to protest the ongoing ballots.
The row has been building for days. On Wednesday, Awami League-aligned lawyers held a procession in the court premises protesting what they called a one-sided election.
A Jamaat-backed lawyers' petition to suspend the election was thrown out by the court the same day.
Following the court's refusal, seven Jamaat-endorsed lawyers resigned from the bar association's current committee on Wednesday afternoon, while 12 candidates from the Oikkobodho Ainjibi Parishad formally declared their withdrawal from the race.
Shamsul had confirmed these resignations, noting that seven members stepped down to protest the unilateral nature of the election, while their 12 listed candidates pulled out.
On Tuesday, a special general meeting called on the Jamaat-backed lawyers' petition to dissolve the election commission and announce a fresh schedule was put to a voice vote -- and rejected.
Awami League-aligned lawyers had also been barred from collecting nomination forms on the day of distribution, with the library's main gate kept shut.
After scrutiny, nine of the association's 21 posts had no competing candidates, while the remaining 12 each had two candidates.
The Jamaat-backed panel said nine of their candidates had been disqualified in the vetting process and that the candidate list was not published on time, calling the election commission "illegal”.
They formally announced their boycott on May 7.
Voting runs until 4pm on Thursday. The association has around 5,000 registered voters.
