BNP-Jamaat panel set to win Ctg bar election uncontested

For the first time in the 132-year history of the Chattogram District Bar Association, no voting will take place in its annual election, as all 21 posts have been secured uncontested by candidates backed by the BNP-Jamaat alliance.

The development marks an unprecedented moment in the association's history, with no rival candidates submitting nominations.

Meanwhile, the pro-Awami League panel, along with several left-leaning lawyers, have alleged they were obstructed from collecting nomination forms and thus unable to contest.

The association's Election Commissioner Advocate Md Masudul Alam confirmed today (12 April) that all 21 nominations submitted by candidates from the BNP-Jamaat-supported "Oikko Parishad" were declared valid after scrutiny.

"We will publish the final list today, and the official announcement of the winners will be made tomorrow," he told The Business Standard.

With no opposition candidates, the scheduled election for 16 April has been cancelled, and the nominated individuals are set to assume office without a vote.

According to the commission, Advocate Abdus Sattar submitted his nomination for president, Mohammad Hasan Ali Chowdhury for general secretary, and Alamgir Mohammad Yunus for vice president.

Other posts include Md Fazlul Bari (joint general secretary), Mohammad Anwar Hossain (treasurer), Touhidul Islam (librarian), Ashrafi Binte Motaleb (cultural secretary), M Manzur Hossain (sports secretary), and Abdul Jabbar (secretary of information and technology).

Nominations for the 11-member posts were submitted by Ahsan Ullah Manik, Asma Khanam, Bibi Fatema, Hel Uddin, Mezbah Ul Alam Amin, Md Raihanul Wazed Chowdhury, Md Rubaiyatul Karim, Md Shahed Hossain, Mohammad Morshed, Rahila Gulshan, and Sajjad Kamrul Hossain. All are from the same panel.

Allegations of obstruction

The AL-backed panel — contesting this year as the Rashid-Jabed-Mahtab Parishad — accused the BNP-Jamaat panel of physically preventing them from collecting nomination forms on 10 April.

Md Abdur Rashid Lokman, the proposed presidential candidate from the group, claimed they were barred from entering the association's library three times.

"We tried three times to enter the library to collect forms, but pro-BNP-Jamaat candidates blocked us from even entering the room. Later, we left to avoid confrontation," he said.

Despite submitting a formal complaint to the ad-hoc committee, no resolution was reached.

"Ninety-eight percent of the members wanted to vote. But a few individuals have tarnished the legacy of this institution," said Lokman.

He also alleged that the election commission failed to follow the association's constitution, stating, "There should have been a 72-hour window for collecting nomination forms. Instead, only two hours were allowed."

Other candidates, including Shahadat Hossain, backed by the Liberal Democratic Party and currently serving as public prosecutor of the Public Safety Tribunal, raised similar allegations.

Fakhruddin Javed, the proposed general secretary candidate from the AL panel, said, "There were unauthorised gatherings and slogans violating election codes. Yet, the election commission remained silent."

Some senior lawyers also voiced concern over the uncontested outcome. "When there is no competition, the credibility of the elected leadership is called into question," said one senior lawyer, requesting anonymity.

What the commission had to say

Responding to the allegations, Election Commissioner Advocate Md Masudul Alam said, "We were inside the library room to distribute the nomination forms. If they could not reach the room, what could we do?"

He added, "They should have submitted a written complaint to us directly. They gave a letter to the president of the ad-hoc committee, but it reached us too late."

Nonetheless, Masudul Alam admitted the situation was regrettable.

"We always believed in unity and tried to hold a fair election. But this has stained the history of the institution."

Presidential candidate Advocate Abdus Sattar from the winning panel dismissed the allegations, saying, "We collected forms lawfully. Others are simply making excuses for their absence."

With over 5,000 registered lawyers in the association, many members have expressed disappointment over the absence of a voting process.

This election followed months of turmoil. The original polls, scheduled for 10 February, were halted after all five members of the previous election commission resigned on 4 February, citing threats and harassment.

A new ad-hoc committee was later formed, which announced a revised election roadmap on 18 March.

Under the new schedule, 10 April was the final date to collect nomination papers, with verification on 11 April, withdrawals on 12 April, and voting on 16 April — a process now rendered unnecessary.