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Published : 30 Apr 2026, 10:52 AM
Voting has begun on the second and last day of the Dhaka Bar Association election.
The voting, which began at 9am on Thursday, will continue until 5pm. There will be a one-hour pause in voting during the day, said Chief Election Commissioner Md Borhan Uddin.
Out of 20,785 lawyers, 2,759 voted on the first day of the polls on Wednesday.
Under Borhan’s leadership, 10 commissioners and 100 members are working to ensure the smooth conduct of the elections.
The Awami League-backed Sada Dal panel (White Panel) is not contesting the polls this time. Instead, the contest is now between lawyers backed by the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, who had been in alliance for more than two decades, but are now competing against each other.
The BNP and Gono Odhikar Parishad-backed Blue Panel is facing off against the Green Panel, which is supported by Jamaat and the National Citizen Party (NCP).
A total of 55 candidates are vying for the 23 posts in this election. Of them, 46 candidates are from the BNP and Jamaat-backed panels -- 23 each -- and the remaining nine are independents.
Nearly 21,731 lawyers are expected to cast their ballots to elect the new leadership.
Representing the Blue Panel, Mohammed Anwar Zahid Bhuiyan is running for president, while Mohammad Abul Kalam Khan seeks the general secretary post.
For the Green Panel, SM Kamal Uddin and Md Abu Bakkar Siddique are contesting for the roles of president and general secretary, respectively.
This is the first election at the Dhaka Bar since the 2024 political changeover following the July Uprising.
The Awami League-aligned Sammilita Ainjibi Samannay Parishad has opted out of the race.
Although several pro-League lawyers expressed interest in running as independents, they reportedly failed to secure permission to participate.
In the previous 2024-25 term election, held during the Sheikh Hasina administration, the White Panel secured 21 posts, including the top two positions.
Following the ousting of the government on Aug 5, 2024, elected officials ceased attending court, nearly paralysing the association’s operations.
To address the crisis, BNP and Jamaat-leaning lawyers formed an ad-hoc committee on Aug 13 last year, which has managed the association's affairs until now.
